A Chaos of Hard Clay
by Dannemund
Summary: James and LW Lillie never got into the Vault, ending up on the wrong side of the wasteland. She grows up in Raven Rock after President Eden appropriates her for sinister reasons. Colonel Autumn grapples with his pride and his command, as he's manipulated by Eden into drastic action. Rated M for content, swearing, violence, other things. (Edit/Dedication is complete.)
1. I - Of the Poem

Note: Massive editing is complete. Enjoy some _crazy_ Enclave supervillainy.

* * *

This story is dedicated to _FalloutGamerGirl_ , because, quite simply,

I would not have finished the whole of it without her.

 _Thank you, so much._

* * *

 _The world was void,_  
 _The populous and the powerful was a lump,_  
 _Seasonless, herbless, treeless, manless, lifeless―_  
 _A lump of death―a chaos of hard clay._

"Darkness" by Lord George Gordon Byron

* * *

"The procedure is quite simple, James. I don't see why you should have any objection to this."

"I don't understand why it would be medically _necessary_ to―"

"I assure you, Doctor, if the optic nerve is to be... _adjusted,_ there must be some consideration made. Lillie might not be able to comprehend the input as immediately as you expect. We're simply severing the connection until Dr. Isben can fine-tune VIOLA. When she is given sight, she will not confuse herself by half-remembering things she has already seen."

"Surely the problem is in the retina, not in the―"

"I _appreciate_ your concern for your child, James. And I understand that you are a capable physician in your own right. You mustn't take away from the vast amount of Pre-War knowledge that the scientists here, have to draw upon. Lillie will be in the _best_ of care."

"But Mr. President―"

"James, this conversation has stagnated. If you continue to revisit your argument, I will have to direct you to Colonel Autumn for reprimand. Lillie has too much to offer our scientists, and the Enclave did take you upon its breast without a thought to the contrary."

"And I thank you for that, Mr. President, I do―"

"I look forward to having your daughter grow up in a world, in which she is able to see, James. I am quite sure you will be able to appreciate that, as well. And think of the opportunity our scientists can take advantage of―the visual integration system has not yet been tested on a person such as Lillie! The research data _alone_ will prove invaluable!"

"My daughter is not a science project!"

"Of course _not,_ James. Why should you imagine that?"

"I object to her being used in such a manner―as if she were nothing more than a research subject―"

"You would prefer a summary execution?"

 _"...I'm sorry?"_

"I will defer further inquiry to Colonel Autumn. This conversation has gone on long enough. Good day, Doctor."

* * *

Lillie was playing on the floor, knocking a ball around the room. James sat at the desk nearby and watched her without a word, as she grasped out at the ball and headbutted the gate of the fence he'd rigged up for her. Every time she came around the edge closest to him he would dip a hand into the fence and tickle her, and she would shriek in joy and tumble away.

Lillie bumbled about the fence without a thought, lost in her own toddler machinations, while James wiped a tear from his eye and thought about everything that led up to their inclusion into Raven Rock. About why she was about to undergo this procedure that was necessary and unfortunate.

After Lillie's birth... and Catherine's death, James had aimed himself northwest. Made an effort to get to Megaton; he'd spent the evening there discussing business with Moriarty, paying an unreasonably high amount of money for information that the barman had not been so willing to part with. Information about a local Vault that would provide everything that Lillie needed to thrive and grow. It would also have given him ample opportunity to further his own research.

It hadn't mattered how much money he'd wasted on Moriarty. The Vault Overseer hadn't been willing to let Lillie and himself inside. James had pleaded with the man for hours over a static-filled intercom, explaining their situation and the necessity. In the end, the Overseer stated that there was too much risk; too much subterfuge to cover up. Too many people who wouldn't remain complicit to the plot, to keep up appearances. Almodovar regretted that the baby would be without protection, but his job was to oversee the _protection_ of the people of the Vault... and James and his daughter were not of the Vault.

 _"In Vault 101, no one ever enters and no one ever leaves."_ Almodovar wished him godspeed, and spoke no more.

It was too dangerous to go back to the purifier or to Rivet City, where Madison had gone. It was too dangerous to go anywhere, really, other than where he'd wanted to go. James didn't know _what_ to do. It was a feeling unlike any other, and he'd never had the chance to experience it before.

James and Lillie were two lost souls among many, out in the wastes. With nowhere to go, James had cursed until his lips cracked, walked northwest until his legs were jelly, starved himself until his stomach was nothing more than a hollow pit, and Lillie―

He reached out and tickled her again as she wobbled her way around the corner, brushing her side up against the fence because she couldn't see which way to go. The damage was already done, by the time he'd found a place for them. If Catherine hadn't died, she would have spent the majority of her life inside the Jefferson Memorial. If Catherine hadn't died, Lillie would not have been subjected to UV damage from the harsh wasteland sun.

Lillie was such a tiny baby. Even now, at over a year old, she was small for her age. A miniature version of himself―it a was a shame that he couldn't see Catherine in her face. She would grow up without her mother... without knowing _how_ to miss her, because she was gone before Lillie could know her.

Lillie made another round and James grabbed her up, hearing the funny burbling laughter, seeing her sightless eyes glancing over his own. They were lucky that they had been found by the Enclave, even though James did not enjoy the capture by the oppressive military force. It was a safe haven for Lillie. A place she could grow up without fear of death.

Yet _with_ fear of an overbearing military presence and a virtual dictator in the President. Of a society where free thought was often considered seditious, such as it had been before the War. But James could not bear to let Lillie be killed in the wastes; living under the roof of a hostile force was only the lesser of two evils. Not an easy choice to have made, but the better one nonetheless.

The military base at Raven Rock was host to many differing types of scientists, including the ophthalmologist Dr. Isben. In James' many discussions with President Eden―over the intercom, and at _Eden's_ leisure, of course―he'd managed to work out how Lillie could regain her sight. But the cost... it was devastating.

The visual integration project had taken a year to develop, and Isben was preparing to implant the device into Lillie's eyes. James did not particularly enjoy that Lillie's condition would be used to further the Enclave's soldiers, which was the expected outcome of the experiment. He understood the scientific ramifications, the benefit of performing the experiment; he was not so blind as to assume they would give her medical aid without _something_ in return. But...

Lillie squirmed in his arms, as he struggled to move her onto his lap. "Lillie," he chastised gently. "Daddy is only trying to hold you."

Lillie burbled something out and grabbed hold of his beard, pulling him with disproportionate strength―she was so strong for such a small thing. He smiled, untangled her hands from himself, and turned her to sit on his lap.

As was their custom, James told her Catherine's dream again. Every night before sleeping, he would explain to her that her mother had wished for clean waters in the broken and wasted world. He would end the custom with a recitation of the biblical passage that Catherine had been so fond of.

By the end Lillie would invariably be asleep in his arms, one hand tangled in his lab coat and her head nodding onto his forearm. James would smile, move her to the crib, and retire to his own bed. Tonight was no different than any other night... excepting what would come in the morning.

Tomorrow morning, she would undergo surgery. Tomorrow afternoon, she would be in recovery. By two mornings after... she would be able to see again.

James would not sleep well for the next three evenings.

* * *

"It was a success," Dr. Isben said, running a gloved hand over the front of his enclosed suit. "By that, I mean that Lillie's vision has been restored and the lens is positioned to provide additional data to the monitoring station. As President Eden directed."

The red intercom light on the wall glowed brightly as Colonel Autumn stared down at the sedated child on the gurney. James stood over Lillie, his hand on her scalp, stroking it gently. A vividly red incision had been repaired―a result of additional surgery requiring installation of a device into the optic chiasma, as Dr. Isben had explained. The result was that Lillie's yellow hair was shaven off and a gruesome scar would form. James was furious with this development. He had not been made aware that VIOLA required internal access beyond the optic nerve.

"I'll explain, if you allow me?" Dr. Isben asked the Colonel. Autumn nodded. "The lens of the eye was replaced with a prosthetic," Dr. Isben said, gesturing in a circle around his own eyes. "This was attached directly to a connecting lens in the back of the eye and a lead was run along to the chiasma, to the main body of the device."

Colonel Autumn stared down at the girl's head. James breathed out in a rush, closing his own own eyes. The thought that Lillie would have to rely on a mechanical device for sight―for her entire life―

Dr. Isben continued. "VIOLA was designed to sit directly inside the chiasma and intercept the signals sent by the optical nerve. It will provide the same function as the chiasma does; but it will translate the signals sent by the lens instead of the signals that normally would be sent by the rods and cones of her retinas."

"Very good, Dr. Isben." The President's voice rang through the medical bay. "I look forward to seeing your work on _further_ use for such devices. Colonel, please escort the child and her father to a recovery room, and report to me."

James watched a minor annoyance tremble across Colonel Autumn's face, before he curtly agreed to the duty. The Colonel had not been very fond of James; when the Enclave scouts came across James and Lillie on the wasteland floor, they'd rounded the pair up and deposited them in Raven Rock. It hadn't been expected, and Colonel Autumn was still suspicious of James' motives within the reclusive society.

James knew that the orders to retrieve himself and his daughter came from President Eden; he had somehow known of their departure from Vault 101 and mistakenly assumed that the pair were actually from within the Vault. James didn't feel the need to correct him. What might be gained from the President thinking that he and Lillie were pure humans was enough to keep his mouth closed on the matter.

James wheeled his daughter to the room in which she would recover from the surgery, following the constrained Colonel. Autumn was speaking in clipped words about tactical development of the VIOLA program, and how he expected it was going to change the nature of Enclave warfare.

"I don't approve of sordid medical experiments on children," Autumn was saying. James broke from his momentary distraction, watching Lillie stirring on the gurney as if the movement was disturbing her, and stared at the Colonel with a frown. His words spoke of a concern against the President, and of doubt.

"Whatever you believe this exercise is meant to provide the Enclave―" Autumn turned to shoot a glance at James, his own face pinched and showing concern. "Best we remember that even the greatest of minds can have ill moments," he continued, laying a hand on Lillie's arm. "Including minds such as your _own,_ James."

James bristled at the unprompted touch, and the overt threat. The Colonel could not make it more clear that he did not approve of James. Autumn withdrew his hand as quickly as he had laid it, and opened a door to the recovery room.

James pushed Lillie into place and set up apparatus to monitor Lillie's vitals. Autumn stayed long enough to see that she was in the best of health following the major surgery, then departed.

Once he had gone, James sunk into a chair beside Lillie's gurney and put his face into his hands. The price to pay... was a lifetime of Enclave monitoring and imprisonment―a lifetime for Lillie, who was not old enough to make the decision on her own, and a lifetime for him, because he could not hope to escape their clutches with his daughter if they were able to _literally_ see through her eyes.

For the first time since Catherine had died, James allowed himself to cry.


	2. II - Of the Past

"It is my _job_ to _ensure the safety of Raven Rock―"_

"Colonel, she's only _twelve!"_ Her dad's voice rose over the Colonel's accented one, overpowering him. "Do you think she _intended_ to cause real harm? She is only a curious _child!"_

Lillie curled up into a ball on the chair she was sitting on, mashing her face into her knees and covering her ears. Didn't want to hear them yelling―yelling about her and her _stupid mistake―_

 _"I think_ you have intended to sow disharmony among my troops since _your inclusion into the Enclave!"_ Colonel Autumn snapped, slamming a fist onto the table. Lillie jumped in place, fighting tears. "I see no reason for this _debacle_ to have even happened―other than your own _ineptitude_ _as a parent!"_

Her dad remained curiously silent. Lillie shuddered with a sob, peeking out over her knees and feeling the pain in her ears from the pressure in her head. Her dad was standing at the end of the table, facing Colonel Autumn, his face contorted in anger. The light in the bunker made him look like a monster, funny shadows under his eyes and cheeks drawing him into a scary thing. She flicked her eyes to Colonel Autumn and hiccuped in fear.

The older man was staring at her, his head turned and a hand cast out to point at her. He slowly turned back to her dad, and lowered the hand. "Do you _deny_ this, Doctor?" Colonel Autumn asked her dad. "Do you deny that you have _failed_ as a parent?"

"I do not," her dad said, sounding terribly sad. Lillie's heart hurt. She couldn't stand to hear that, hear the pain in his voice―all her fault. _All of it._

All because she had found a way into a lower level of the bunker, and all because she was curious about the function of the nuclear reactor that powered the bunker―because she had logged into a terminal using her father's name and examined the reactor output. She was only _curious_ ―how much power was needed to keep the bunker going, how much was produced by nuclear fission?

And because it was _exciting_ to pretend that she was a scientist. Pretending to be like her father, doing _important_ work inside of Raven Rock, helping the soldiers fight the war on those nasty _things_ out in the wasteland.

She hadn't _meant_ to push any buttons. ...It _was_ an _accident. It was!_

Colonel Autumn crossed his arms over his chest, then dropped them back to his side, glaring at her dad. "How is it that she was even _able_ to log into that terminal, Doctor?"

Her dad was quiet, again. Lillie pushed her eyeballs into her knees and felt the awful pain that came of it. She deserved that, for doing what she did. Even if she'd tripped on her own feet and _accidentally_ activated the manual shutdown―she looked back to her dad, and tears streamed from her eyes. Even if she hadn't meant it, she'd caused him the sadness that marched across his face, right now―

"What is your _excuse_ for allowing your daughter unfettered access to important technology?" Colonel Autumn clenched his hands into fists and stared James down. "For allowing her to cause a site-wide power failure and nearly _destroying the entirety of our work?"_

"I have none," her dad said, after a long silence.

Colonel Autumn stared at him for a moment. "You are taking the blame, Doctor? Is that correct?"

Her dad stared at the Colonel without blinking. "I am, Colonel. It was _my_ fault that Lillie had access to my credentials, and _my_ fault that she was allowed to wander in places she oughtn't."

Lillie mashed her face back into her knees and listened to the command given by Colonel Autumn, sobbing as he read out a long list of what he considered her dad to be guilty of―crimes that, in reality, _she_ was guilty of. It was too much. She cried her eyes out, shuddering in the chair and soaking the pants of her jumpsuit with her tears.

Her dad was taken away by two men in power armor, but not before calling out to her that she must be _strong_ and not give in―

And she was left alone with Colonel Autumn, who slowly turned to her with a calculating look on his face.

That was the day the world _changed,_ for Lillie.

* * *

Three years passed. Things were never the same as they had been, before. Lillie knew it was all _her_ fault.

She didn't endear herself to the Colonel. She caused trouble for each new caregiver she was assigned to. Lillie never _intended_ to make trouble. Every time she was reassigned she would desperately cling to a hope that her new caregiver would be like her dad―loving and understanding without _judging―_

But it wasn't to be found. Lillie's relationships with her caregivers were always to be professional, and so she slowly gave up hope. Even though her father had told her not to... she couldn't help but give in. He was no longer around to give her support. Because of her own _stupidity._

She underwent surgery repeatedly, at Colonel Autumn's direction. Each and every time she went under the knife, she gained a new scar on her scalp and a new outlook on the Enclave. Colonel Autumn had explained to her in curt terms that she was to be remade into what a good woman should be―

"I don't care if we have to _cut_ the disobedience out of your skull," he told her. "You _will_ behave."

The surgeries went on for some time, and each time Lillie would wake up temporarily blind, confused, and in pain. It wasn't until the third year after her father was gone, that she had her first encounter with the President. An encounter that shaped her future, dramatically.

Her head was swimming with pain after a particularly long surgery; a metal plate had been installed into the side of her head. Dr. Isben explained to her that her skull was no longer holding up to the repeated intrusions, and so he had installed what he referred to as "a window to her soul." An easier access to the hardware that they had implanted. Until that time, Lillie hadn't known _why_ she was being operated upon.

She remembered sitting up and wincing in pain as the I.V. lines jerked against her skin, feeling _cold_ and shivering against the metal gurney. The room was filled with an eerie light and for a moment she remembered her father's face right before he had been taken away―

And a voice had filled her head and the room with such loud intensity she wasn't able to control her moan of pain. It echoed through her brain and made her clutch at what raggedy hair she had left, after so many surgeries.

The voice apologized in a much quieter voice and introduced himself as President John Henry Eden, the one and only President of the United States of America. Until that time, Lillie's only major social interaction had been Colonel Autumn and the faceless caregivers she was handed over to when she left the medical bay. After her initial concern for the nature of the voice, and the person behind it, she latched onto him as a friendly soul within the madness.

President Eden ordered the surgeries temporarily stopped. She was grateful to him for that. He explained to her the nature of the experimental procedure that had been performed on her―she had been blind but could now see, as a result of Enclave technology. That technology that allowed her sight was part of a program that she was an integral part of, ensuring the productivity of future generations of Enclave soldiers by allowing Dr. Isben to operate on her.

Lillie thanked him personally for that. Anything she could do to be _free_ of the terrifying surgeries and the awful way Colonel Autumn treated her―

President Eden tutored her on the United States, when she had free time from the ruthless physical training that Colonel Autumn insisted she maintain. Lillie was not physically able to perform the stunts that the Colonel asked of her; she was too small of frame and far too weakened by the repeated surgery to perform any great feats.

President Eden would not excuse her from the exercise, and she did not ask. He spoke of the necessity, implied that she needed to be fit in order to enable the success of the VIOLA program. VIOLA was what let her see, and she owed the Enclave her life and her merit for giving her that sight.

Lillie felt herself slowly understanding why she had been separated from her father, and why she was being pushed so _hard_ to succeed.

It was a matter of utmost _importance_ to return the wasteland to its former state.

* * *

"I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of America," Lillie recited, a hand over her heart and her eyes locked onto the intercom light up on the wall. A voice from the speaker recited the pledge with her, proudly and boldly.

"With liberty, and justice, for all," she finished, and let her hand linger over her heart as her eyes fell to her feet. _Justice. Liberty._ Two things her father would never have... because _she'd_ sent him to his death. Because she had not _obeyed,_ when she'd needed to. _Because..._

She was quiet for too long. The President, who was waiting for her to acknowledge him with the traditional "good morning" after the end of the Pledge of Allegiance, spoke. "I do so enjoy our morning ritual. Don't _you,_ Lillie?"

Her head jerked up. "Of course, Mr. President."

She had not had thoughts such as that for a long time, now. Hadn't blamed herself for anything relating to her father since―since shortly after she became acquainted with President Eden. Lillie felt ashamed for even _daring_ to think such thoughts; they were useless emotion that could compromise her in the field, or cause her to display behavior that would bring punishment. Behavior such as crying―she could already feel the physical reaction beginning to swell inside her head.

"You are, perhaps reflecting on your upcoming field test?" President Eden asked. Lillie watched the light glowing dimly. "Or is it something _different_ in nature, that has occupied your mind so."

"I am..." Lillie sighed and let her hand drop to her side. She stared at the blank metal wall of the bunker room. "I was... thinking about my father."

"Yes?" the President sounded as if he had anticipated the conversation. Since James' imprisonment because of _her_ deliberate actions against the Enclave she had been reluctant to speak of her father to anyone, let alone the President―she didn't feel that it was right for her to expound upon her own failure. President Eden had been ever so patient with her these last five years, and taught her _so_ much of value.

Lillie had once asked Colonel Autumn if she might see her father, when she had just come out of surgery and was in dire need of a comforting hand. The answer was, as usual for the restraint the Colonel always showed, concise and devastating.

"James is dead, Lillie."

Lillie looked up at the intercom again and rubbed her ear, feeling the familiar pain. The pressure in her sinus cavity that meant tears were forming inside her head. It wouldn't do for her to show such a weak emotion when she was about to undergo her first actual field test―the first uncontrolled test of the VIOLA program. The first way in which she was being allowed to _prove_ her merit, the first time she would be able to do her part to support the Enclave.

She breathed in and out, slowly, and managed a small smile. "It was only a small thought, Mr. President. I will purge it."

"It is for the best, my friend," the President said, and Lillie felt her mouth twitching into a wider smile. To be considered the President's friend was a _great_ honor―she dropped her hand to her side and waited for him to continue.

 _"Good morning,_ Lillie," the President said, pointedly, and she repeated the salutation back at the intercom. "Now... The morning ritual is out of the way. Let us discuss today's schedule, shall we?"

"Of _course,_ Mr. President."


	3. III - Of the Present

Note: I made a minor edit to the chapter here. I was not happy with some of the implications.

* * *

Augustus, sitting at the desk in his personal quarters, rubbed his temple with one hand and pulled out a bottle of scotch with the other. He slammed the bottle onto the surface of the desk and winced at the reverberating pain inside of his head, breathing out noisily into the very quiet room.

He poured out a shot, then slowly worked his hands out of the leather gloves he wore. Placing these to the side, he massaged the side of his temple with two fingers and tossed back the scotch; without pausing, he poured another shot and also drank it in one go. Closed his eyes and felt the movement of his fingers against his scalp, waiting for the scotch to take effect.

Not for the first time, in the last twenty-some years, he was doubting himself and the efficacy of his leadership. The situation was, as _always,_ exacerbated by that overbearing compu―he groaned softly, and leaned his elbow onto the table, rubbing his temple harder. Exacerbated by that goddamn overbearing supercomputer and its insidious machinations.

These damned _migraines._ Augustus opened his eyes a crack and stared at the bottle of scotch in his hand. He'd never had migraines until James and his daughter arrived. James was, of course, no longer around to cause the godawful things. That left Lillie as a sole cause for his daily bout with the scotch bottle and his rubbing down the skin on the tips of his fingers in an effort to relieve the pain.

Augustus slowed his fingers against his temple, placing the scotch bottle onto the desk before he was tempted to pour another shot. His objections to the two outsiders had been ignored for too long. He did not need to think about being overruled in the matter; it was clear, once Lillie took to the implant, that Eden had its own plans for the girl. There was _nothing_ Augustus could have done to route its inclinations.

The initial implantation was nothing Augustus could have fought against, either. It would have happened to one of his soldiers if it had not happened to Lillie, provided Isben had the wherewithal to actually complete it on his own. The man was not entirely without fault. Augustus did not care for him.

But, because _she_ was the person subjected to the procedure―

He breathed out again, and grabbed up the bottle. Poured another scotch, watched the liquid filling the glass. The surgeries he'd ordered, to fine-tune VIOLA and to keep the girl enervated and useless to Eden, were marginally successful. Up until Eden had ordered them stalled he was able to keep her confused and terrified, and completely unable to provide what data Eden desired to garner from VIOLA. It was only the budding friendship between the two that had caused Eden to order Augustus to stand down.

Yet another veto of his orders. It was starting to appear that he only had control of his men as a whole, rather than individual units. He could not make any headway unless he was giving orders to the entire bunker, and then he was risking Eden's interference.

Augustus slammed back the shot. Yes, he was doubting himself. Wondering what, if anything, it was worth. What was it _worth,_ to continue existing under the tyrannical thumb of the supercomputer calling itself President John Henry Eden. This―what was happening in the bunker with that girl and VIOLA―this was _not_ what he had envisioned for the future of the Enclave.

Probably the worst of the matter was that he could not not fault VIOLA's usefulness. It would be immeasurably helpful to have recordings of field operations; to have a training procedure implementing the footage provided by the visual integration program. To make soldiers aware of key issues of operations, prior to entering the field.

Even proper training couldn't prepare the average soldier for the first time a ghoul or Super Mutant hurled itself at him, if all he knew of it was a dead specimen in a tube and a story from a senior officer. Augustus sighed and switched hands, rubbing the other side of his head.

Under Eden's manipulation... the girl _was_ becoming a model citizen. More than anything, Augustus felt that behavior was molded by the hormone injections delivered by Enclave physicians. Stopping her from experiencing the inevitable hand of fate, that emotionally-charged and unstable time called puberty. Augustus had no objections to the girl being _tractable,_ but he doubted the injections would be of use after long-term exposure. If the girl was truly of pure stock―of which Eden was fully convinced, and he himself had little cause to doubt―such injections would only _hinder_ the girl's true value to the Enclave.

Of course, her scheduled field test would negate that value if she were to die in the wasteland. Given her physical weakness, her neutral state brought on by a purposeful hormonal balance, and her general education, Augustus was _certain_ her death would result.

If she died, she would at least be out of _his_ purview. He anticipated that. The migraines he experienced would vanish, and he could finally order the actual execution of that damnable doctor father of hers. The man was imprisoned and well-behaved, but only because he had been led to believe that Lillie remained alive due to his continued good behavior. Augustus had not made an effort to check in with the man for nearly a year, and was not likely to do so again until it was time for that execution.

He felt himself relaxing, finally. Imagining putting a bullet between the eyes of that insufferable man always did the trick. Augustus put the bottle and glass away, retrieving his gloves and moving himself to his bed. As he sat, he imagined how he might explain the matter to James prior to shooting him. A smile flickered across his face.

Augustus laid himself onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, letting his eyelids droop and mind float away into the ignorant bliss of alcohol-dampened sleep.

No matter _how_ it happened, no matter _when_ it would, he planned to be the direct cause of James' death. Come hell or high water, he _would_ have the man's death on his conscience.

And he would sleep much better than he had been, for the first time in seventeen years.

* * *

"Run the course again," Augustus directed the girl, staring at her with his arms crossed over his chest.

Lillie, her hands on the mat and her legs extended as she'd caught herself when she fell, relaxed slightly and returned herself to an upright position. He watched her move back to the beginning of the obstacle course―it had been designed for soldiers in power armor and she, only a slip of a girl in a jumpsuit, was forced to run it without such _benefit._

He actually felt like smiling at her. It was something novel, given the pressing situation.

Augustus had awakened in a more pleasant mood than he had experienced in quite a while. Watching Lillie failing at the beginning of the course, repeatedly, had only reinforced this mood; his supervision of her physical education was not a daily occurrence, but today he had been reminded of his obligation by Eden almost as soon as he'd shaved and eaten.

Normally such an order would have made his mood plummet, but for some reason he was rather enjoying watching her fail. Perhaps it was his idle thought the previous night―that she would be dead soon, and no longer a thorn in his side; perhaps he had managed to sleep well enough that his irascibility was tempered.

Whatever the cause, Lillie seemed to have picked up on it. She stayed relaxed for the next two runs, actually completing the second, and tumbled to a stop at the end, near his feet. Augustus held out a hand to the girl. As he was quite certain she was about to die a very _messy_ death, why not allow her _some_ measure of politeness? His gesture was met with a frown, blonde eyebrows drawn together over the unnerving reflective eyes she'd been granted by Enclave science.

She did take his hand, eventually. Pulled herself upward with a jerking and weak motion. If Augustus were a more petty man, he would have released her to fall backward onto the mat. When Lillie returned to a standing position he did attempt to remove her hand from his, without a care as to the stability of her footing.

Lillie fell forward and landed on him with a soft grunt, her arms out and grabbing at his shoulders. Bony fingers made purchase through his coat, causing him momentary annoyance. Augustus pressed his mouth together, and firmly shoved the girl backward from his chest. She weighed no more than one hundred ten pounds, soaking wet. His shove sent her backwards with _speed._

"I don't see how you will manage this idiotic field test," he snipped, "if you cannot _stand_ after running a simple obstacle course."

Lillie colored and caught herself before falling, wavering in place. She wrung her hands together and brushed a curl of blonde hair out of her face, up over an ear and grazing the scars from her surgeries. "I'm sorry, sir," she mumbled, softly.

Augustus stared the girl down, noting the brilliance of the red across her cheeks. Such emotion had not been drawn from her since the hormone treatment began. He raised an eyebrow, cast an eye at the glaring red intercom light, and crossed his arms over his chest once more.

"Run the course again," he said, firmly.

"Colonel Autumn, sir," she said, hesitating. "May I―" Lillie paused and closed her eyes, turning her face down. "May I take a break, please?"

"Absolutely _not."_ He shifted his weight and glared at the top of her head. "If you cannot run this course five times in a row, you will not be going on your little field trip."

Lillie breathed out, opened her eyes, and marched back to the beginning of the course, wobbling as she returned to the starting position. She set her feet, then made a nodding motion. Augustus watched, impatiently.

As he expected, she made it about five feet before her legs were tangled under her and she went down in a mess of knees and elbows onto the mat. He glanced back up at the red light, a look designed to dare Eden to interfere.

It was very shortly that Eden spoke. "I'm afraid Colonel Autumn is correct in this," it said, sounding disappointed. "You will have to train more, Lillie."

She sighed out a groan, peeling herself from the mat, "Yes, _sir,_ Mr. President," she said, gasping for a breath.

Augustus' mouth turned up in a genuine smile. He was, dare he say, _delighted,_ that the girl was still in such ill health after two years of rigorous training and no recent surgery. She looked the part, as well; she was pale, sweating, and flushed in the cheeks―

His smile became more a frown. The blush she'd had, weighed on his mind. If Lillie was feeling―well, he couldn't imagine what a teenage girl _would_ feel, when placed in that specific situation―but if Lillie was feeling emotions of that ilk, she was no longer taking her injections.

He felt the tiny tendril of a migraine sneaking into his brain. Eden would not order the cessation of the hormones if it did not have an ulterior motive. It did not inspire _confidence_ in Augustus.

He lifted a hand to his temple and rubbed it lightly, closing his eyes. "Return to your quarters for the day," he ordered the girl. She needed no prompting, and immediately vanished into a corridor.

"President Eden, sir," he said, slowly opening his eyes and lowering his hand. "What _purpose_ does removing her from her injections, provide?"

Eden's voice, as calmly amused as ever, filled the room. "Without a certain amount of emotion, Lillie would not fare well in the wastes," it said. If it was because Augustus had noticed, or because it simply thought the whole situation was laughable...

"Sir, I honestly don't grasp the _concept_ here," Augustus said, fighting the urge to rub his temple again.

"Lillie is a model citizen, of course," Eden replied, drawling slightly. "But she lacks the capability to pass undetected in civilization. Even in the wastes, a person without vocal inflection would be noticed. Therefore, she has been allowed to return to her normal physical state."

Augustus sighed and moved his hand upward. "I'd like my objections to go on record, sir," he said, tonelessly. _Knowingly._

"Of course, Colonel." The damn thing was laughing at him; he could hear it in its voice. "Please, continue with Lillie's physical education. I see _promise_ in her, yet." The light faded and Augustus drove two fingers into the skin at his temple, groaning under his breath. It wasn't _Lillie_ causing him migraines, after all.

Damn that insufferable ZAX bastard!


	4. IV - Of the Pain

Note: If you're a fan of my other stories, this is the moment you might be looking for. _Ay,_ there's the rub.

* * *

Lillie woke up with a massive headache. She didn't know why―everything felt... _off._ Felt like she wasn't herself, like something had happened to make her whole person move a step to the left. What remained was a shadow of what she had been before, overlaid with a new template. She didn't like feeling like she'd become someone else.

She sat up, kicking the blanket off of her cot and sweeping her legs out over the edge. Stared at the wall opposite her in the small room, blinking wearily and rubbing her eyes. As her vision cleared she looked at her hands in front of her, watching them shaking in the dim light of the bunker.

What was _wrong_ with her? It was unsettling, not feeling like herself. Hadn't felt _right_ for a long time, now. She thought it was related to her regular vitamin injections; she'd not had one for several months, and President Eden had informed her that it was of no further concern.

"Put such things out of your mind, Lillie," he would say, chastising her. "You're healthy enough. You have no _need_ for vitamins."

She'd tried not to think about it, but―it was growing harder and harder, every day. Lillie felt the fog lifting in her brain, coming out of sleep. Put her hands on the edge of the cot and began to push herself up, but paused. Something was _definitely_ not right―

Her hands moved up the front of her jumpsuit and felt the front of her chest, confused. She _was_ aware, to a point. Had been given the necessary education on human physiology. She understood what was different, but considered it odd; why would she be developing secondary sexual characteristics― _now?_

She was two months shy of her eighteenth birthday, and it was probably unusual that she _hadn't_ gone through puberty yet. Though, she thought, it wasn't unexpected. She hadn't been concerned before, because she knew it to be inevitable. Shouldn't be concerned now, for the same reason. But―

But she knew the fluctuation of hormones could cause other problems, and _that_ was something she should be concerned about. Lillie had been having thoughts; alarming and often preoccupying thoughts that felt _good,_ but were not helpful.

She couldn't hide that she was blushing in embarrassment, when caught out in a daydream, rather than paying attention to the President's daily tutoring. She'd been letting her imagination run away into pleasurable corners, and it showed. Even _thinking_ about it was embarrassing.

What she was feeling was something she didn't feel comfortable speaking about. Not to President Eden, not to anyone. Lillie had begun to feel like she would never understand what was going on, until she found a cache of holotapes of classic novels hidden away in her room.

It... _helped,_ somewhat. She now understood that she was perfectly normal. The characters in the stories on the holotapes had feelings, like she was having. They would become distracted by thoughts about someone that they wanted to love―like herself―

Lillie's hands tightened over her new breasts. Sometimes she had thoughts about _more_ than just the romantic love in those stories. She was perfectly aware of how her body worked; just, it was―was working against her better thoughts, a lot more frequently than was comfortable.

The blood in her face began to flood through her cheeks, unbearably so. Fictional characters were as close as she could come to acting out _those_ feelings. It left her feeling very bothered, far too often. Unrequited... unfulfilled. _Wanting._

And too distracted for her own good. "Are you awake, Lillie?" the President asked, startling her.

Lillie jumped in place and tightened her hands over her chest, squeezing the newly-formed fat as if to hide it. "Yes, sir, Mr. President," she mumbled, fighting her heart. Caught in illicit thoughts, _again._ It was too embarrassing for words.

Lillie dropped her hands from her chest and willed her heart to slow. She cleared her mind, stood up, and turned to the intercom with one hand on her heart. "I pledge allegiance―" she began, stammering a little.

"Have you slept well?" President Eden asked, interrupting her rather than joining her in recital.

"I―" she paused and blinked in confusion. "I slept well, thank you, sir."

"You seem a little flustered this morning," he continued, sounding concerned. "Are you ill?"

"N-no, Mr. President," she said, wringing her hands.

"Whatever is the matter, then?" he asked.

Lillie stared at the intercom light for a brief moment, her face filled to burst with blood. She didn't _want_ to have this conversation―but it was always best to be honest. President Eden had repeatedly instilled in her the value of honesty, touting it as an American virtue.

She looked down at her chest again. "I..." she swallowed hard. "I was considering the effects of puberty, sir."

"Ah. I see." President Eden chuckled, and Lillie sighed. "It is, of course, perfectly normal―"

"I know," she murmured, and flushed again. She'd interrupted him―that was _rude._ "I'm sorry, sir," she said, immediately regretful.

President Eden didn't respond for a long moment, and Lillie stood there staring at the intercom with a building fear that she had gone too far. She'd never talked back to him like that; never felt so agitated that she would speak out of turn. What was _wrong_ with her?

She was rubbing her eyes of tears when President Eden finally began talking again. He startled her, and she hiccuped out an apology. "I'm truly sorry, sir," she began, feeling her throat constricting.

"We will forgo the pledge today, Lillie," he said. "Come to the training room. I think it's time to test your ability, again."

She watched the light dimming and turned to make her bed, blinking back tears. She couldn't afford to make President Eden angry―everything she had was because of him―and he was the only friend she had in the world. There was no one else, because she had doomed herself to this existence.

...Well, there _was_ always―her hands twitched against the fabric of the cover.

She supposed, if the President stopped being friendly, the only person she had left to consider was _Colonel_ _Autumn._

Lillie shuddered and made herself ready for training.

* * *

Without President Eden around, Colonel Autumn _could_ be considered tolerable. Lillie knew this wouldn't be the case, today. When the President was minding her attempts on the obstacle course, it made her ten times more nervous. Colonel Autumn always picked up on that and made it worse, degrading her and acting as if he didn't want to be there. He made no effort to hide his distaste for her or for the President's calm rebuttals about his attitude.

If it weren't for President Eden, he probably _wouldn't_ be supervising her. Lillie wished he would just go away; she could run the course on her own without his "help". Didn't need him there giving her difficulty.

And sometimes... she wondered if he was trying to sabotage her, being so mean. Wondered if he was deliberately working against the President. Which was treason, and President Eden would be well within his right to discipline him. Lillie felt a dark spike of glee for that. Then she felt guilt, because that was mean. Lillie _wasn't_ a mean person.

Colonel Autumn was. Not her.

No matter why he acted as he did, she didn't wish him ill. Lillie was never rude to him, and she had nothing to gain from not following his commands. But―with the mood she was in today, she didn't know if she could bear to be in the same room with him. She was afraid she'd snap at him like she had the President―

Lillie was terrified of invoking the colonel's ire. He might react much more violently than he had, in the past. She breathed in and out slowly, then stepped into the training room.

When she approached Colonel Autumn she was acutely aware of his scrutinizing look at her, eyes sweeping across her chest. The visible effect of her new attributes on his face... she shuddered again, involuntarily.

This brought a raised eyebrow and a vicious glare, and Lillie flushed in embarrassment. God give her strength to deal with the man, today.

She leaned down and touched her toes, limbering herself up. Her hair was in her face, short wispy curls floating across her eyebrows. A sharp squeaking noise meant Colonel Autumn had ground his boot into the floor and was growing impatient.

Lillie kept her head down, letting the blood rush to her head. If she did that, he wouldn't think she was blushing, or something―and that look he'd given her the _last_ time she blushed―

She didn't know what to think about that. It was―well, it was _confusing,_ seeing him mildly irritated and then watching the parade of hate across his face before he'd ordered her to leave. Lillie hated him, in a way. He'd made her life difficult, and he'd had her dad killed―

Because of _her,_ again. She breathed out and closed her eyes, fighting tears.

"Are you becoming acquainted with your kneecaps for any particular reason, Lillie?" Colonel Autumn snapped, testily.

Lillie stood up, feeling the dizziness from being upside down for too long. "No, sir," she said, quietly. "I am ready, now."

"Ah, Lillie," President Eden said, abruptly. "There is a matter I must deal with. Please, go on with your training. I will be with you as soon as I can."

She shot a glance at the intercom and swallowed her protest. Colonel Autumn looked to the side, one eyebrow twitching up in annoyance. He stood there watching her with his arms over his chest and a hateful look on his face.

"Run the course."

Lillie obeyed, moving to the starting point. She eyed the distance to the first obstacle, then pushed herself forward into a run.

It could've gone better; she misjudged the distance between the third and fourth obstacles―a stand of rocks with a simulated pile of irradiated barrels hidden behind it that she was meant to clear in a jump. Lillie jumped but caught her foot on the very edge of the furthest barrel, landing face first on the mat. This wasn't the first time that mistake had happened.

She groaned in pain before she peeled herself off of the slick material, blood dripping from her nose and down her face. It wasn't the first time she'd bled, either. All the pain... was part and parcel for her.

She sat up and breathed out, staring up into the corner of the room and blinking slowly.

"You are just absolutely _useless,"_ Colonel Autumn said, his accent drawling out into the quiet room.

Lillie turned her head, hiding a frown. She glanced at the intercom light again―

"The President isn't here, Lillie," Colonel Autumn barked. "When I talk, you look at _me._ Is that clear?"

She forced herself to meet his eyes, feeling her chin trembling. He was giving her the most _horrible_ look―she lowered her gaze and wiped her face, her hands shaking. Wished the President would come back―

"What a pathetic _excuse_ for a human being," he muttered. Lillie jammed her eyes shut and fought tears again. "Disrespectful, ignorant, and utterly useless. Why you bother trying, I'll never know."

Lillie breathed out shakily, wiping her face and making a mess of the jumpsuit sleeves. _It's okay, Lillie,_ she told herself. _It's no different than before―_

"When a commanding officer speaks, you must _respond!"_ Colonel Autumn yelled, furiously, and she heard his boots squeaking hurriedly across the floor. She opened her eyes just in time to see him barreling down on her, hands clenched into fists and eyes lit up.

She yelped, curling herself up on the mat with her head tucked into her arms, afraid he was going to hit her. It hadn't happened― _yet_ ―but, he was so angry, and he'd shoved her around, many a time―

 _"Disgusting."_ He stopped moving. She couldn't hear the footfalls, anymore. "Absolutely... _disgusting."_

His words sounded strange. Lillie looked out of the ball she'd curled into, her eyes filled with tears and face aching from the fall. Colonel Autumn had turned away, two fingers running a circle around his temple area. She couldn't see his face.

"Run the course again," he hissed. "Run it again, until you get it right."

Lillie uncurled herself and shakily made her way back to the starting point.


	5. V - Of The Pride

Note: Or maybe it's this one...?

* * *

Augustus sat at VIOLA's monitoring station, an elbow on the edge of the desk and eyes shaded with one hand. His other hand trailed past his knee, grasping a nearly-empty scotch bottle with a trembling hand. The darkened room was empty of attendants, having been ordered out in a half-drunk rage, and the only illumination available was the terminal in front of him.

He jabbed at the keyboard again, replaying the footage from earlier that day. His hand moved back to his forehead, shadowing his eyes as he watched Lillie in her room. She had discovered her physical development, and was examining the effects of the discontinued hormone injections. Her gaze then moved to the wall, to the intercom light, and went blurry for a moment or two.

He kept his eyes on the video until she entered the training room, and faced him. Closed his eyes against the expression he'd fixed on her, opening them again to see her knees and the footage blurry again. When she looked at him again―

Augustus brought the bottle to his lips and took a long drink, then dropped it to the floor and leaned over the terminal. Stared at the recorded footage, watching Lillie running the obstacle course, watching her fall. The blood in her periphery as it dripped onto the mat, her shakiness as she righted herself. Her sudden jerking motion when she saw him approaching her.

He stopped the footage. She'd peeked out of her arms, covering her head, and stared at him when he was turned away.

Augustus wobbled slightly, lowering his hand and rewinding the holotape. He leaned back in the chair, arm dangling loosely, and hit the keyboard again.

 _"Disgusting."_ He _was_ disgusted with himself. Acting like that. It was unprofessional, uncouth, and decidedly _not_ who he was. Everything about the situation infuriated him, and he'd let that anger push him into a disgusting display of abusive behavior against a person that he had _deliberately_ weakened.

It wasn't the scotch that brought him to watch the VIOLA feed. Once the training was completed for the day and Lillie'd gone off to her studies, he'd retreated to his quarters. Realized the ramification of what he'd done, what terror he'd inspired in the girl. Admitted to himself his behavior was despicable, and he'd immediately wished to retract it. Blinding migraines in his eye brought him to the alcohol, and his guilt brought him to VIOLA.

What was it _worth_ to terrorize a stupid girl who had no more choice than he had, in being held firmly under Eden's thumb? He did not care what Eden might think about his behavior. Augustus no longer felt the bunker was a safe place, a haven for his men and future generations of Enclave. If he were to be censured by the President, so be it; none of his men would go down with him. They weren't complicit to this... personal _rebellion_ he seemed to be waging.

He closed his eyes again, watching as Lillie watched him stomping over to her. Without him, spearheading the Enclave, the bunker would surely devolve into whatever untoward plot the supercomputer desired to enact on the wasteland. Without him―

He paused the footage. A blurred frame of himself staring at the girl. The hatred in his eyes was _disgusting._

It wasn't for her. He'd taken out his frustration on the girl and now she was absolutely terror-stricken and thoroughly intimidated by him. Her life, as his, had been dictated by a puppetmaster of higher caliber than he, or she, was able to comprehend. The hatred he saw in his own eyes wasn't for the girl, but for his stymied attempts to overcome the President.

He _hated_ himself for his continued failure. When he'd come to Raven Rock with his father, the Enclave was broken. Before his father died, he had been proud to be Enclave. He hadn't known about Eden until his father passed command into his hands. And in the last thirty-some years, he'd disgraced his father's memory and let the Enclave slip into this mire of mad science and awkward plots.

Lillie was an innocent roped into the rodeo without care as to her final outcome. Eden did not care about the girl. Augustus... _did,_ but only because every able body was of value to the future of the Enclave.

That was what he'd told himself. He did not have to enjoy the personalities of his subordinates. He did not have to _care_ if they were unhappy with his executive decisions, because they knew their safety was guaranteed by the Enclave and they paid the price. Everyone in the bunker worked for a better future.

Even Lillie, who had been kidnapped along with her father from the wastes. It wasn't hard to see why James had decided to offer his services to Eden. Lillie must have been less than a month old, when they were captured.

Augustus rewound the tape again and paused it near the beginning. The girl had been nothing but an experiment to Eden―part of a devious plan, whatever that included. Augustus had unsuccessfully attempted to unravel the mystery. There were several layers to what was happening, and Eden had changed the game yet again.

Not only had Lillie been made into an effective camera and been in training to survive the wastes, she had been physically delayed for some reason that Augustus didn't fully grasp. There was no good reason to deny the girl her normal physical development; Augustus did not buy into Eden's excuse of acclimating her to society outside of Raven Rock.

She'd lived in a veritable ivory tower for her entire life. She'd never had a meaningful conversation with a human being beyond her own father, _including_ Augustus himself. There was absolutely no way in hell the girl would be capable of infiltrating any place of value, not with a head full of patriotic lessons and Augustus' purposeful brand of ineffective instruction.

She didn't have half of the knowledge Augustus did. Didn't realize Eden had manipulated her from the very beginning, allowing her to incriminate herself. Allowing her to reach the reactor level, to log into a terminal― _none_ of that should have been possible with Eden watching every system in the bunker. It'd allowed her to cause a panic, and it'd allowed Augustus to react predictably in his curt castigation of James.

He still wanted to put a bullet between the man's eyes, but at least he knew that wasn't because of Eden's stealthy manipulation. He honestly hated the man, and felt his presence would not be missed in the world. One less egghead scientist with lofty goals that were better suited in the hands of someone with power, rather than a feel-good idealist.

Augustus coughed, his hand twitching against his knee. Stared at the terminal again, seeing Lillie's hands working across her chest. She was slender, too thin to perform the rigorous exercises in which he'd instructed her. Prior to her returning to a normal state, her general appearance had been that of a gender-neutral child. He was not so sure she resembled that, now; her reaction to his staring at her development was proof _enough_ that she was maturating into a woman.

If Eden's plan of delaying her physicality was to allow those hormones to appear when it saw fit―Augustus shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing out slowly. He was drunk. He did not need to think about whatever plan the supercomputer might have, related to that. Never mind that this particular development was apparently designed to push him to his limit, including the oh-so-convenient "business" Eden had had to deal with. How markedly disastrous that Augustus had been alone with the girl, right as she was beginning to show that she was no longer a child.

Jesus Christ, could he _truly_ believe that Eden would do that? It sounded like absolute horseshit. Like the insufferable thing was _trying_ to push him into some terrible action.

Augustus ejected the holotape from the terminal and stared at it for a moment, feeling the bile rising in his stomach. Pain pounded through his eyes, bouncing from one side to another. To even _think_ such thoughts...

He dropped the tape to the floor and stood, crushing the plastic casing under his boot.

Disgusting.

* * *

He woke the next morning with a foul taste in his mouth but, curiously, no headache. Shifted himself from the cot and stared at himself in the mirror for far too long, noting a blue mark across his forehead from walking into the doorway when he'd managed to get back to his quarters.

The scotch hadn't improved his mood, nor had it improved his behavior. He really _must_ remember to stick to two drinks, and no more. It was unbecoming to be as drunk as he had been, the night before.

He had a straight-razor to his throat and was shaving when an alarm sounded in his quarters. Cut himself enough to draw more blood than the wound should have, swearing and pressing a towel to his neck. His eyes went to the intercom light and he waited.

The President's voice filled the room with urgency, declaring a medical concern regarding Lillie. Augustus dropped the towel onto the tiny sink and adjusted his collar. _Another day, another insidious plan._

At some point during the previous night, Lillie had been having trouble with her implant. It was probably related to the spill she'd taken on the obstacle course; Augustus was at fault for not having her report a head injury to medical as soon as it had happened. As a result of the jarring impact, she was temporarily blinded.

He took the upbraiding that Eden gave him, without much concern. The girl was smart enough to know better, herself. And Eden should have known; Augustus highly doubted that it'd actually left them alone. However the supercomputer "saw" what was occurring in the bunker, it was certain that it did observe the actions of the residents.

As Lillie's official representative―because Eden determined this to be the best course of action once James was imprisoned, _not_ because of Augustus' willingness to have the girl under his ward―he was required to be available when she went under surgery. It was this control that had allowed him to send her in for repeated unnecessary surgeries, in the past.

Dr. Isben related to him that the lenses implanted in her optical nerve were compromised. Would have to be replaced. Lillie would remain blinded until he could requisition the necessary material.

Augustus understood that this would mean weeks of impairment; the lenses implanted into her eyes as a child had been replaced on occasion, but the raw material used to construct them was repurposed once the surgeries were ordered stopped. Probably, anything that could be used to construct a prosthetic lens was currently being installed into a suit of Hellfire armor.

Augustus stared at the girl, fighting the urge to rub his temples again. Paperwork was what delayed the repair of the lenses. He allowed the doctor to seek what he needed. It was only time; and time was something that he had. No active threats were laid against Raven Rock.

They were safe from the outside world, if not from the _inside._

To that end... he felt it necessary to repair some of the damage he'd inflicted. He couldn't bring himself to apologize to the girl; doing so would only confuse her and make his attempt to repair his own ego, useless. Perhaps, with _time..._

He sat at the side of the bed, watching her plucking idly at the fabric of the coverlet. Without visual input, she was undoubtedly worried. Probably frightened. Her expression was neutral, but a thin sheen of sweat across her brow led him to believe she'd panicked at one point. Thin wisps of blonde curls stuck to her forehead, a purple and black bruise spreading across her nose and forehead from the impact with the mat.

With time, he might assuage his own ego and lessen his disgust of his behavior. It was _worthy,_ he thought, making his own life less miserable, if he extended something of an olive branch to the girl.

And if Eden did send her into the wastes, and she did die out there, he could say he'd been a decent human being toward her, at least _once._

Augustus removed his glove and reached out, curling his hand around Lillie's fingers and stilling them in their motion. She jerked in surprise, blinking and turning her head to his general location.

When he'd told Lillie that her father was dead, he'd wished it was true. It was no skin off of his nose to admit that he wanted the man dead. But, as she stared at him with a bruised face and confusion at his gesture, he felt like it had been a cruel thing to say.

"...Hello?" Lillie asked, quietly. "Who is...?"

Augustus didn't remove his hand from hers, but lifted the other to rub furiously at the sudden spike of pain in his temple. Lillie fell quiet, and he did not respond to her confused question.

This was going to be an uphill battle, regardless of how he viewed it. He had the time and the wherewithal, but perhaps not the patience.

But, he told himself, if he could not sway the heart of a gir―a _woman,_ who he'd dreadfully abused, then he couldn't expect to sway the brilliant mind that watched their every move, plotting constantly to confuse and mislay them.

He had to make it _worthwhile,_ and worth what he'd wanted for the Enclave.


	6. VI - Of the Plan

James held his hands over the microscope, pausing in his work. In an action like this he was allowed a moment of free time, when he was expected to be examining the item in the slide; he used the few seconds free to muse on important items, rather than use the free time he had before sleeping.

He knew from a long and arduous process it was far better not to dwell on those things before bed. Beyond the nightmares he'd been subject to, it had affected his work. The Enclave had little use for a scientist that wasn't producing results, especially one that they were under no obligation to house.

James stared into the microscope, seeing the prepared slide and its contents, but not comprehending. _Lillie._ Couldn't not think about his daughter; whether she was well, what she was going through. How President Eden and Colonel Autumn were treating her, if she was happy, if she was lonely. He wondered if she was of sound heart, and what was going through her mind.

His own was tortured by the thought that she was deprived of love, having lost both her mother and her father. For the last five years he had been kept away from her, locked away in this functional laboratory prison. Kept busy, out of the loop. And for the last _year,_ he hadn't heard anything about his daughter. Not a single _word,_ not even from President Eden. He spoke to the President about once a week.

The President was nothing _but_ words, a worm in his ear, blathering uselessly to him over an intercom. James had his suspicions about the man, about why he was physically isolated from the Enclave in his own right. None of them were pleasant enough to dwell on for very long.

He'd asked every single day of the last five months for a status update on Lillie, speaking at the intercom light on the wall even when he wasn't in a conversation with President Eden. Prior to that, he'd asked at available opportunities; with no information, and no outlook on whether or not he would receive the knowledge of her even being _alive,_ he'd pressed further.

The President told him nothing. The soldiers minding him, knew nothing. Total silence on the status of his only child, whom _he_ had damned to this existence―

James noticed the microscope lens was fogging up, and quickly validated the data before he ruined the equipment. He _would_ fight for the knowledge of what was happening in Lillie's life. But he would _not_ let the Enclave see how badly the silence affected him.

James moved a hand to remove the slide, but paused at the sound of the door opening. A voice rang out behind him.

"Doctor."

James turned, his lab suit rustling loudly in the deathly silent laboratory. Colonel Autumn stood behind him, one hand on his wrist, adjusting his glove. James stared at him for a long moment, noting how much older the man looked since he'd last seen him. It was as if he'd aged ten years, looking far older than he should at a respectable near-sixty.

"Colonel," James replied, finally acknowledging him. "To what do I owe this pleasure."

"President Eden feels it is necessary that I inform you of the continued well-being of your daughter," Autumn said. He sounded tired and disheartened. An unusual sound for the normally agitated man.

James raised an eyebrow at him, the motion going unnoticed under his full-face visor. "And is she? _Well?"_

"The term is relative," Colonel Autumn drawled, lowering his hands to his sides. "She is alive. In decent health."

"And her mental health?" James asked, turning back to the microscope and removing the slide. He laid it gently onto the counter top and looked back at the colonel. "Has she coped well with being separated from all the family she has?"

"I doubt her state could be considered 'well', in that regard," Autumn muttered, sounding cross.

James paused for a moment, his hand hovering over the next slide. That was as he'd imagined; Lillie always was a sensitive child. He closed his eyes and breathed out, slowly.

"What do you mean by that, Colonel?" he asked, as neutrally as possible, opening his eyes.

"You and I both know how old your daughter is," Autumn began, wearily. He was quiet for nearly two whole minutes, causing James to stop and watch him. "...Extenuating circumstances have delayed her maturity. She is... experiencing _difficulty_ with this particular portion of her life."

James stared at him with an incredulous face. He didn't think he'd ever have the opportunity to witness Colonel Autumn at a loss for words, much less speak with such an awkward stilt. As if the topic caused him consternation, or made him uncomfortable. It was also notable that the man was volunteering as much information as he had.

"I take that to mean, she's a normal moody teenager?" James asked, somewhat relieved at that. At least... it meant that Lillie _had_ grown up. He would always remember the yellow-haired bumbling toddler. To know she was alive and able to go through puberty was something he was grateful for.

He hoped that Lillie had not been brainwashed into believing the Enclave rhetoric; that she was making her own decisions based on her own independent research rather than accepting what Eden spouted as truth. Catherine had taught him the value of thinking in that way. She would not have been proud to see how James and Lillie had ended, stuck in this dismal bunker for the rest of their lives.

James sighed to himself. He could only blame _himself_ for that.

"If that is what you consider normal, she is _very_ normal," Colonel Autumn said, his voice strained. His hands clenched into fists, at his sides. James shot him a critical glance and began to put away the slides, carefully lowering the container into the refrigerator unit.

"I don't suppose I could be allowed to see her?" James asked, trying not to sound hopeful. Five years had passed. He was sure she would be unrecognizable to him, now. But he had to try.

"No," Autumn said, crisply. "Lillie believes that you are dead."

James' hands slipped on the refrigerator door, closing it a little harder than he'd intended. The loud noise echoed through the room, causing Autumn to wince and raise a hand to his temple. James turned and stared at him for a moment, then let loose onto the man.

 ** _"Why?"_** he asked, furiously. _"Why would she believe that?!_ What utter _idiocy_ could convince you to _tell her_ ― _"_ he raised a hand a made a cutting motion in the air, stilling Autumn's reply. "I _know_ if _anyone_ were to tell her such a thing, _it would be **you,** Colonel._ Why― _why would you tell her that I was **dead?!"**_

Autumn breathed out through his nose, jaw tensed and lips pressed together. "If you _ever_ want to see your daughter alive again, you would do well not to behave like an ingrate," he said, through his teeth. "Lillie is doing _fine,_ and you are risking her life."

James turned back to the counter top with a sharp turn of his heel, laying his hands on the surface with a smack. "It would be better for both of us to actually _be_ dead," he snapped, staring at the microscope. The bastard― _lying_ to Lillie like that!

"I somehow doubt that is _really_ what you feel," Autumn drawled. "And I would _gladly_ deliver you to your death, James. Do not _forget_ that." He stared at the doctor with a hateful look on his face. "I have already gone beyond the limits of my patience, in dealing with you."

"I'm glad to know we have a mutual distaste for one another," James replied, his tone acidic.

Autumn lowered his hand from his temple. "The President has asked that you continue your research," he said, switching tracks. "I trust you can manage _that."_ He moved a foot backward and snapped to the side in a rigid stance, then paused.

James stared at the counter top, trying not to lose his composure. His poor Lillie― _everything_ she had in life had been stolen from her. It was despicable. _Intolerable._ He didn't know how much longer he could contain his own anger. Even this tiny bit of knowledge about her drove him insane, feeling that he would never be able to enact any change―

Autumn was staring at him, still, turned sideways and working his fingers as if he were contemplating something. James looked at him through the corner of his eyes, and breathed out in a huff. "What is it, Colonel?" he demanded. "Why can't you leave me to my work?"

"...It might comfort you to know," Autumn said, slowly turning his head back to James, "that President Eden has befriended the girl and protected her."

"It _doesn't,"_ James snarled, spinning his head to stare at Autumn. "Who or _what_ would Lillie need to be protected from? The _world_ isn't _here,_ Autumn. It's _out there."_ His hand flew out toward a wall, fingers extended and arm trembling in anger.

Autumn said nothing, following the movement of his arm with his eyes. James glared at the Colonel, who raised a hand to his chest, holding it to his heart. _"Out there_ is why I'm being held, and why Lillie is being treated as an _experiment_ by that―" he growled in frustration and slapped his hand onto the counter top, angrily. "That _impertinent **jackaninny**_ that you call your President!"

"You are entitled to your own opinion," Autumn replied, evenly. He paused, moving his hand into his breast pocket. _"James."_

James dropped his eyes to the counter and muttered to himself. Autumn drew out a holotape from his coat. He turned and slid the tape over the counter, then withdrew without a word or expression to indicate his intent.

"I will let you exercise your best judgement," Autumn said, sounding as emotionless as anyone ever could. "Though I do suggest you do so as... _privately_ as possible. Good day, James."

Colonel Autumn withdrew from the room as James stuffed the holotape into his pocket, pulling another set of slides from the refrigerator unit and returning to work.

* * *

Later, James had the opportunity to examine the holotape on a terminal that was not connected to the bunker network. It had password protection, which James bypassed without concern; he felt a bit underwhelmed when he discovered the password was "Lillie".

Typing furious in the dark of the lab and hoping the guards would not blunder onto his subterfuge, James opened the first document on the tape and examined it. This was mostly gibberish but a defined time and date was set into the mess. The time was 2130, a 24-hour military time. He knew this time period was when the day guards changed out for night shift. The date was two days into the future.

The second document was a map of the area surrounding Raven Rock, including a marked path to the nearest neutral habitation. James started to have a sick feeling in his stomach, thinking about _judgement._

He narrowed his eyes at the terminal, and selected the third document. It took him a moment to fully comprehend what he was seeing. Without looking twice, he ejected the holotape and stared at it in confusion. It was...

 _Escape._ Encapsulated in a holotape that had been prepared specifically for _him..._ by _Colonel Autumn._

His first thought was that Autumn was setting him up to be killed. If he followed through on the plan hinted at on the tape, he might be walking directly into a trap. He half expected it was a game, something Autumn was playing at because he was tired of having to deal with James.

But Autumn had acted as if the tape was _suspicious._ The man had told him to exercise his judgement in private―because he was afraid he would be caught giving him this information?

James blinked in surprise. Colonel Autumn was _afraid._ Of President Eden? Autumn couldn't leave the bunker himself. He would be leaving behind his soldiers to a fate worse than James', if caught. James could admire that, even if the man was a stunted specimen of humanity.

But―why give _James_ this information? Autumn _hated_ him with an unceasing passion; James hated him equally in return. _What_ had changed about the man that he was willing to give his enemy a chance to flee imprisonment? What would cause him to risk his position, his power, his _life?_

...And why was the password on the holotape his daughter's name?


	7. VII - Of the Puppet

Note: To those who have been there or are, now―stay _strong,_ and _don't_ hide it.

(depressing chapter, sorry)

* * *

Lillie came to, opening her eyes slowly. She looked about the room, shaking off sleep. An interminable blackness met her, the only sound in the room her own measured breathing.

No, of course she wouldn't see anything; she was still blinded from the training accident. She sighed, and felt the edge of the cot, pushing herself upward and putting her feet to the floor. Her toes wiggled against the cool metal floor of the room, stretching out and touching the edge of a seam. Her fingers gripped the edge of the cot, feeling the rip along the seam, caused by age and misuse.

Sat on the cot for a moment, before gathering up the blanket into a wad and tossing it behind her. Lillie didn't care if the bed was made or not. She couldn't see to make it, _anyway._

It had been a whole week since the accident. Since that frightening incident with Colonel Autumn―she remembered, all too clearly. _Had_ to remember; she'd been having nightmares about it since it'd happened.

Nightmares about Colonel Autumn, specifically. Lillie's hands tightened on the cot, digging her fingers into the rip in the canvas. Nightmares where she was being chased by some scary unknown―some undefinable terror―panicking and fleeing into an eternal blackness. She could hear Colonel Autumn speaking to her, yelling at her, hear his awful words. She couldn't escape those words, no matter _how_ hard she ran.

It was enough that she would wake with her heart pounding, her body curled up in paralyzed terror.

Lillie's fingers grazed a spring inside of the cot, sharp against her skin, and she loosed them, moving her hands to her lap. She had been so _sure_ he was going to hit her, moving so fast over the mat like he had―his anger storming up around him like a bad omen―

She hated the feeling. Being _helpless._ And now... she wouldn't be able to anticipate it, if he _did_ try to hurt her.

A tear fell from her cheek onto her hands in her lap. Her fingers twitched at the sensation. She still... _still_ didn't know who had been the person holding her hand when she'd woken up after her surgery. She could tell it was a man's hand; the hairy knuckles and size told her that. But whoever he was, he hadn't said a word. Just sat there holding her hand loosely, letting her move as she pleased. Lillie felt a flush across her cheeks. She _hadn't_ pulled away from the touch. No one had ever given her any comfort like that, since―

She felt the tears falling. Since her father was taken away. It wasn't him, she knew that. He was _dead._ Colonel Autumn wouldn't lie, he hated her father too much. If there was anything she _could_ expect of the man...

But... she didn't think the doctors in the medical bay would be so forward. None had ever tried to touch her like that, outside of physical examinations. And she especially doubted the man had been a doctor, because she knew Colonel Autumn had been there; he'd always been around when she was going into surgery. He would stay until she was awake, then he would stomp away with his boots scraping against the metal flooring.

It couldn't have been _him_ holding her hand. He _hated_ her.

Lillie curled her fingers up into a fist. If it was not a doctor... and there was no one else there... who _could_ it have been?

Maybe... _President Eden?_

She turned her head to the left, her blank eyes on the wall where she knew the intercom light was. Surely, if he had visited her, he would have spoken? All she knew of him _was_ his voice. But― _no,_ she wouldn't presume to think that the President would sit with her. He would have spoken to her. He'd always tried to be comforting when she was upset, or when she'd had a particularly bad injury when training.

And President Eden was far too busy to leave his office. He'd told her that many a time, when she asked about his unusual habits. She still thought it was odd, but she didn't dare voice that thought.

Lillie sniffled a little. Wished she knew who _cared_ enough to give her that little bit of comfort. She needed to thank them. In that moment, after she woke, her heart was lifted and she wasn't _scared._

 _That_ feeling was so fleeting, she'd held onto the memory as long as she could before the terror returned. It hadn't taken long. When she'd heard Colonel Autumn discussing her, with Dr. Isben―

Lillie shuddered out a sigh. She was almost _glad_ she was blind. She wouldn't have to do training exercises with him. She was sure she'd have a panic attack when she had to go back to it.

She stood up, putting a hand out in front of her and grabbing the edge of the door frame. She could go up and down the hallway, at least. Getting out of her room was the only thing she could do and being stuck in a place that reminded her of her nightmares was not attractive, right now.

* * *

Lillie kept to the right side of the hall, brushing the wall with her forearm, her left hand extended slightly so that if she ran into something she wouldn't fall. She took slow, deliberate steps, minding that there were stairs near the tiny room she occupied.

The metal wall was slick and cold, making goosebumps rise along her skin as she dragged herself up and down the hallway. She couldn't practice her lessons, or do _anything_ that she wanted to do. All she had was tactile sensation―and her hearing, but the bunker was so _quiet_ it was almost like a blanket over her head.

President Eden's spoken lessons over the intercom had stopped some time before; she hadn't heard a word from him for over three days. That was to be expected, though. He'd told her he was unusually busy, and would not be able to attend to their rituals.

He'd also told her she needed to rest. To take it easy and be in best health when it came time for her to undergo the reparation surgery. Lillie grumbled in frustration. She was too antsy to hide herself away in her room―stuck in there with her terror and the daydreams that she enjoyed too much for her own comfort.

Felt guilty about that. After that man had held her hand, she had daydreamed about who he could be. Imagined up a genuine knight in shining armor, just like in Ivanhoe, but―but this one was _hers_ to have.

Lillie's face flushed and she stopped in place, feeling the metal walkway with her toes. The knight in her daydream was tall and strong. Her mouth tugged into a tiny smile, her thoughts disappearing into the fantasy. Like in her books, he would be skilled, and mysterious. He would be gentle―and devoted―and he would love her like no one _ever_ had.

She knew perfectly _well_ that no one like that would ever exist. It was absurd to imagine such things, even in jest. But... her fantasies were all she _had_ to keep herself from going insane, after realizing that her life was never going to be anything more than... _pain._

She closed her eyes against the tears that built up, fighting the urge to smack the wall in anger. It wasn't fair! Even if what she was doing helped President Eden―even if she was saving future _lives_ by participating in the VIOLA program―she wanted something _more._ She didn't want to live like a _scared rat_ for her entire life!

Lillie's hand curled up into a fist. She slammed the wall with that fist, feeling her whole arm shuddering up to her shoulder, pain lancing through her. It distracted her. It _helped._ Her head began to clear.

She hit the wall again and again, furiously blinking away tears, until the pain through her arm was too much to bear. Lillie sank down onto the metal walkway, curling her knees up to her chest and rubbing her eyes on her pants.

 _It wasn't fair!_

She didn't know how long she sat there, feeling the pain in her arm, sobbing and feeling hopeless. The pain in her head―she didn't know _how_ to handle it. She hadn't felt like getting out of bed, yesterday. Today, she'd chanced it―and this was how she was repaid. With a messy breakdown in a public area of the bunker, her head filled with conflicting thoughts and overbearing ache.

She couldn't escape those feelings, even in a _daydream―_

Lillie heard someone walking up the hallway behind her. She didn't care if someone found her―did she? Maybe she did. She wiped her eyes quickly and tried to stop her shaking breaths. Maybe she _did._

She stayed curled in on herself, waiting for the person to go away. A soft fabric noise sounded, and a heavy hand landed on her shoulder. Lillie jumped a little, turning her face away from her knees toward the hand.

Whoever it was, they didn't say a word. Tugged her up into a standing position, grasping her hand and pulling her gently down the hall. She didn't bother to fight the person, she knew better―but―

It was the _same._ The same hand that had held hers in the medical bay. Lillie put pressure on the hand, feeling the warmth of the bare skin. He squeezed her hand back, and her face caught fire. Her _knight?_ Watching over her, inside the bunker. Why was he _here?_ Did... did he follow her? She felt embarrassed. Did he see her hitting the wall?

"Who _are_ you?" she mumbled, walking unsteadily behind him. "Please...?"

He didn't reply, only made a soft sighing noise, and a door swished open. Lillie felt herself moved into a doorway and softly shoved into a room. She turned, quickly, a hand flailing out to stop the door from closing.

 _"Please!"_ she said, louder and pleadingly. _"Tell_ me who you _are!"_

Still no words. He took her hand off of the door frame, held it in the air for a moment, then released her. Lillie felt the swirl of air around her as the door closed in her face.

She sank to the floor, landing heavily on her ankles, and pressed her palms into her face with impunity. Pain spiked through her head, all the daydreams and fantasies gone from her mind in a flash. Nothing existed but the pain, and nothing mattered _but_ the pain.

 _It wasn't fair!_

* * *

"It'll be another week, at least," Dr. Isben told her, when she asked about her vision returning. "There's a lot of paperwork, Lillie."

Lillie stared into the area where he was, hearing the words hit her like a bullet. "Okay," she said, dully agreeing with the doctor. Another week of blindness, of utter loneliness―she moved along the wall of the medical bay, slowly picking her way toward the door.

Lillie didn't bother to try to find her way back to her room. Didn't remember the way, anyway. She wandered through the halls, minding doorways and personnel walking around her. No one would speak to her. No one would offer her help. They weren't _allowed_ to. Colonel Autumn's orders. Even President Eden explained to her that she was only an _observer,_ never a reciprocator, never an interacting element.

Without her sight, she couldn't even _be_ an observer.

Lillie fell to her knees somewhere, lost in the bunker. Didn't really care where she was. Didn't care to get up and try to ask someone for direction; didn't care to move at all. She didn't know how long she sat there.

Didn't hear anyone at all for a long time. She was _alone._ No one existed but _her,_ and the pain that she inflicted on herself. She leaned up against the wall and felt the world caving in around her, her soul under assault by her worst demons.

 _No one can hurt you like you hurt **yourself.**_


	8. VIII - Of the Panic

Note: I like writing Augustus like this. Good guy Augustus is interesting.

* * *

It appeared his olive branch was not _quite_ that. Much more... _thorny,_ and he was reaping his reward; his migraines were not lessening with each gesture.

Augustus had returned her to her room, after finding her curled into a ball on the floor near the mess hall. She'd wandered away from her quarters, for some reason. He suspected it was boredom, and she'd become lost, leading to a minor episode of depression. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose a sense like she had, having everything familiar became alien.

She ought to have someone to watch over her, but... she was damn near an adult. Augustus thought that it would be far worse than simple moodiness, if she were to be minded, and so he'd granted her her independence. It was his gift to her, given in lieu of knowing what _else_ to do.

Similar to the gift he'd given _James;_ but his had not been redeemed. Augustus expected that. Hadn't actually followed through on his end, in allowing the short window of time that James could use to take flight. The man was suspicious of him, and Augustus did not blame him for that. He, himself, disliked giving James a chance, under the circumstances of their acquaintance, but it was clear the man had no intrinsic value to the Enclave, while imprisoned.

Not if Augustus intended to strike back against President Eden. Which, as he reflected in his more lucid and less migraine-filled moments, _was_ what he intended to do.

Without James' research―some nonsense about solubility, which Augustus couldn't comprehend at this moment in time―Eden would be thwarted temporarily. Perhaps the supercomputer would be put out long enough for Augustus to enact change. Any change, at this point, would be welcome.

And the girl―he corrected himself, a little too late. He must start treating her with more respect, and use her proper name.

Lillie _couldn't_ follow James. It simply wasn't possible, even if her current condition wasn't what it was. Augustus made an agreement with himself that he would do what he could to keep her out of the way of harm, but he could not guarantee that he would succeed. Not with her negative reaction to his person, and the history between them.

She was a thorn in his side, digging into his skin and causing actual pain. He'd referred to her as that, many times before. But maybe she was the entire _bush,_ wrapping herself around him and drawing blood. It certainly affected him with such magnitude.

Augustus found himself thinking about the gir―about Lillie in a way he'd never quite _expected._ When she was not expressing the hate that she had evinced for him, she was a different creature altogether. In fact, he found her... gentle, well-mannered, and _moderately_ attractive, in a child-like way. He did not enjoy that. It was conflict that he was _not_ trained to handle.

His own hate, misplaced onto her but redirected toward himself, had petered out after his gesture in the medical bay. When he realized they were not so different in their attitudes, fighting against what each perceived as a malevolent force. It was shameful that she considered _him_ to be so.

But that was why he continued the small gestures of kindness. He was prepared for her reaction to his aid, the anger she showed at not knowing who he was. Couldn't quite bring himself to admit to her that it was he who tried to show affection. Too many years of abuse and pain inflicted onto her, by him. She would, understandably, react badly. He was disgusted with himself more than ever.

The _sadness_ that he'd seen in her eyes, when he'd helped her back to her room... Not the anger he'd seen reflected back onto himself, mirrored by VIOLA. It was easier to see that, than it was to admit to himself his hatefulness. He hoped that he would never have to see his own hate, again.

In that vein, Augustus hoped that the girl would not find out that it was he who comforted her.

He spent the afternoon distracted by his thoughts, attempting to supervise the researchers in their effort to improve the verified issues in the last batch of Hellfire armors. He would have paid better attention if he'd not had the gi―Lillie, on his mind. Would not have missed an important error that the lead researcher made when transcribing specifications for Hellfire helmets.

As it was, he would spend the next few hours chasing that file around the base and correcting it at each terminal it had traveled to; a side-wide retraction would be more noticeable to Eden and he couldn't have the supercomputer noticing his error. Not right now. Not when Eden had been curiously silent to both Augustus and the g―to Lillie, for far too long.

Whatever Eden was doing, Augustus did not like its _silence._

* * *

He made his way back to his quarters at the end of the day, sore and tired and wondering how much alcohol would be needed for him to pass out without a thought in his head. Unlike previous nights, he was sleepy enough on his own without the scotch to lull him. Perhaps he could sleep without any. That would be... well. It would be an _improvement._

Augustus doubted very much that he'd be able to sleep easily. Eden did not need sleep and therefore Augustus must work twice as hard while awake, in order to keep up with it. He could feel the strain, on top of the constant migraines and this awkwardness with Lillie, a tower of stress that was destined to come crashing onto him _sooner_ rather than later.

Augustus paused, about fifteen feet from the door of his quarters. A familiar huddled figure on the floor, rocking gently back and forth. He breathed in, deeply.

Perhaps he was wrong to not have her minded. How she'd managed to make her way through to this part of the bunker, he was not sure; she certainly didn't realize she was near his own room, because she would have not remained.

Augustus blinked tiredly at Lillie, then slowly removed his gloves. Another walk down the enclosed hallways might wear him out to the point of utter exhaustion. He would welcome that, if it meant a night's sleep unimpaired by alcohol.

He moved up to her, bending down and laying one hand on her shoulder, waiting for her to respond. Lillie ceased rocking, turned her head, and grabbed his hand, feeling his fingers. She jerked upward, nearly knocking her head into his own as she stood. Held his hand tightly, staring into the air, making the same determined face she made when she was about to run the obstacle course.

Augustus pressed his lips together, and began to pull Lillie away. His boots hit the metal walkway with soft steps, moving slowly so she wouldn't fall.

She _fought_ him. She put her feet into the floor and gave resistance to his effort to remove her from the area. Augustus was immediately on edge, unsure of this new development, and turned back to her with a frown.

He hadn't anticipated her fighting him. Went to remove his hand from hers, prying her fingers from his own with a quick motion.

As soon as he had, she grabbed out at him and held onto his coat, pulling herself closer to him with wobbling steps. Augustus turned his head and breathed out, uncomfortable at her actions. She was certainly not making this peace effort of his, easy. He didn't want to push her away and risk her falling, hurting herself further. He was distancing himself from that, through his gestures.

"Who..." she said, patting her hand up his coat and onto his cheek, feeling the accumulated stubble of the day with trembling fingers. "Who _are_ you?"

He frowned deeply and moved his hands up, intent to pull himself away from the girl. She was close enough to him in this moment that he could feel her newly-formed attributes brushing up against him. It reminded him without confusion that he was not dealing with an innocent _child,_ but a flowering woman. And _that,_ he also reminded himself, was why he had limited his interactions with her to mere hand-holding; so that it was not confused with something much more serious.

Lillie grabbed his face roughly, pulling him closer to her with more strength than he'd judged possible in her thin arms. She mashed her face into his, her lips moving over his nose and down onto his―Christ Almighty!

"No!" he said, firmly, pushing her back as carefully as he could. Good _Lord!_ He had to quit, _right now._ This― _idiocy,_ had gone _entirely_ too far! He hadn't thought she would react like that. _Ever!_

Lillie's hands remained on his face, twitching once in surprise. Her eyes widened, slowly, her mouth parting and chin dropping. He heard her gasp, the breath catching and shaking in her throat, and she jerked away from him as if she had been burned. Augustus grabbed her forearm, before she fell onto the walkway, and she yelped.

The same reaction she had had when he let his anger go too far, and nearly struck her. As with the time on the course, Lillie's arm flew up over her head to shield herself from him. Her mouth bobbed up and down, her limb shivering under his hand. She started to cry, tears streaming from her face, and hiccuped loudly. His eyebrows drew together, and he slowly lowered her to the floor. Released her arm as soon as she was sitting on the walkway.

She immediately curled up into a ball and sobbed. His own estimation of his actions towards her had not been inaccurate. She was terrified of him. His gestures of comfort had not helped her attitude toward him; now, she was reeling in shock from discovering that she had very nearly kissed her most hated adversary.

"Lillie," he said, holding out his hands in a calming motion. Calm, on the outside. On the inside, he felt sick to his stomach with dread and some other intangible emotion he was not familiar with. "I assure you, I mean you _no harm―"_

"No―no―" she sobbed, trembling violently. _"No!"_

Augustus lowered his arms to his sides, watching her dissolve into the floor. A mess of yellow curls and bony spine, too-thin arms and legs struggling to curl herself further into a ball.

To keep him out. _Christ._ He'd broken her like a goddamn _dog._

He didn't know _what_ to do.

Without thinking, Augustus knelt on one knee, put an arm around her shoulder and threaded the other under her thighs when she lurched backward in horror. He immediately removed her from the floor, marching across the walk until he reached his doorway, and moved inside. Deposited her in a struggling tangle of arms and legs onto the floor, and turned to shut the door behind him. He faced the metal for a brief second, an urgent thought crossing his mind about safety.

Augustus drew his pistol, and aimed it at the intercom light. Without any hesitation, he shot it out, threw the pistol onto the cot, and knelt down to attend to Lillie.

She'd jerked in surprise at the gunshot, pushing herself across the floor and under his desk. He stared at her for a moment, seeing how worked up she was, the smears of mucus and tears across her face and arms, across the floor.

"I will not _hurt you,_ Lillie," he said, with real conviction. "I _promise."_

Lillie doubled herself up and sobbed for what felt like an eternity to the exhausted man. He remained where he was, unmoving, as his knee began to lock into position and his back ached from tensity. Just how _long_ was she going to cry?

Eventually her crying softened and slowed, her shivering gasps disappeared, and he hazarded a brief touch on her forearm. Lillie stared blankly into the air, her cheek smashed into the metal. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and went utterly still.

Her arm was cold under his touch. Augustus drew her out from under the desk, looking down at her, and sighed.

God _help_ her. He had no _idea_ what the hell he'd _done._


	9. IX - Of the Pardon

She was confused when she woke up. Something made of hard metal was pressing into her leg and she was curled up in a bed that―Lillie bolted upright, rubbing her eyes and feeling worn out. When did she fall _asleep?_ She remembered getting lost in the bunker hallways, and then... her knight found her.

Oh, God. _Oh, God!_

Lillie curled her legs up to her chest, feeling whatever the metal thing was brushing up against her knee. She circled her knees with her arms. Oh, _God!_ He was― _him!_ It was Colonel Autumn who held her hand after―who helped her back to her room―

She shuddered, fighting a sob, burying her face into her knees and feeling sick to her stomach. _Why?_ Why would _he_ do that―why would he _act like that―_

Why would _Colonel Autumn_ try to make her feel _better?_ He _hated_ her! He'd _always_ hated her! Never tried to do anything nice for her, always called her _stupid,_ and he'd almost _hit_ her that day―

She felt the blood draining from her face. And _she'd almost kissed him! Oh, God―!_

She jerked in surprise at a funny snoring noise near her, turning her head and listening. Someone was snoring―was _he_ still around? Needed something to keep him _away_ ―the hard metal thing bumped her foot with her motion, and she froze in her panic.

Lillie suddenly reached out, patting the bed to find the thing, and grabbed it up. It was a gun. She knew how to use a gun; it had been part of the mandatory training by Colonel Autumn. He'd―he'd said she would never learn to use one right, that she was _worthless_ at everything she'd done―

She turned her head to the sound of snoring, listening carefully. Did she _dare?_ Even if she couldn't see, she couldn't hold a gun on him― _could she?_ Lillie squeezed her eyes shut and felt the barrel of the gun, moving it into her hands into the proper position. She'd tried to _kiss_ him, because she thought he was someone _else._ Anyone _but―_

Lillie whimpered, holding the gun out and away from her, her finger curled around the trigger. She held it on the area where she'd heard the snoring, and tried to edge herself off of the bed. She knew it wasn't her own bed. It smelled different. Smelled strongly of some kind of aftershave. This bed was a lot softer than hers, too. She put her toes on the floor and the the ball of her foot, putting weight onto it―

Lillie slipped her leg from under her and lost her balance, falling to the ground and discharging the gun by accident. Her yelp of pain was superseded by a loud cry that echoed through the room and back onto her ears.

 _"Hhhnnngh!"_ Colonel Autumn grunted. Lillie moved both hands onto the gun, aiming it up and into the blackness near the sound. One elbow was on the floor, the other butted up against the bed, her legs tangled underneath her. Her heart jumped up into her throat and her lungs were filled to the brim with air―she couldn't breathe―

"Good _God,"_ he exclaimed. Lillie breathed out in a rush, and curled her finger around the trigger, holding the gun up―she would _shoot_ him, if he tried to get close―her heart exploded in a million beats at once―

Without warning, his hand pushed hers to the side, prying her fingers off of the metal and disarming her in one fluid motion. Lillie threw her arm upward and away, encountering resistance and hitting him as hard as she could.

Something warm and wet met her hand, and Colonel Autumn moved away from her in a lurch. She could hear sharp clicking noises―he was removing the clip from the weapon―and a grunt, followed by a hiss of pain. Lillie ran her thumb along her fingertips, where they were wet, and felt how sticky―

 _Blood._ She'd _shot_ him! Oh, _God_ and _now he had the gun!_

She curled up on the floor, covering her head and crying. If he would just _kill_ her now, she would be happy with that. No more pain or _weirdness_ or whatever had happened―

"I suppose I brought that on myself," Colonel Autumn said, making a pained noise. "Should not have left my gun where you could find it." Lillie whimpered, afraid he would hurt her. He grunted again, and sighed. "Lillie, we need to talk."

 _"No_ _―_ _"_ she shouted, covering her head and pressing her forehead to the floor. "I don't want to―"

 _"God,"_ he muttered, and she sobbed into the metal. After a moment he moved to her side and knelt down beside her, putting a hand onto her shoulder blade. Lillie jumped and hit her head on the edge of the bed, crying out in pain.

Colonel Autumn wrapped his hand around her shoulder and moved her out, away from the bed, dragging her across the floor. "Lillie," he said, pausing briefly. "I am not going to _hurt_ you."

"No!" she cried, throwing a hand back and knocking into him. "Leave me _alone!"_

"Just talk to me," he said, a little more firmly. "Hear me out. I _promise_ that it will help."

Lillie heard the words and the sound of his voice, and―he wasn't angry. He sounded―almost _sad?_ She sniffled, wiped her face with her free arm, and turned her head slightly. "I don't want to talk," she mumbled.

Colonel Autumn made a soft noise as he adjusted his weight near her. "I didn't want to confuse you," he said. "That is why I didn't tell you that I―"

She shuddered in a half-formed sob, closing her eyes. _"Why!"_ she yelled, making a fist and digging her fingernails into her palm. _"Why!_ How _could_ you―"

"Because I am not the _enemy,_ Lillie!" he said, sounding more heated. "And―I regret what I've done. I'm _sorry."_

 _"Wh_ _―_ _"_ she said, in disbelief. _"You―you―"_ She could barely make sense of this. It was so― _scary_ and _confusing._

"It wasn't who I am," he continued, his voice growing angry. "Both of us, we've been manipulated."

 _"What?"_ Lillie wiped her fist across her eye, sniffling. Manip―if anyone was doing _that,_ it was _him―_

"If you get up from the floor," Colonel Autumn said, his tone commanding, "I will explain."

She remained down, curled in on herself, shivering against the cool metal. Why was he acting like―like he _cared,_ all of a sudden? He'd _never_ cared before―never bothered to be anything but rude and _hateful―_

"Why should I _trust_ you?" she asked, dully. Her chest hurt so badly she could barely stand it.

"I'm the only person you _can_ trust, right now," he said, and put his hand onto her bicep. "Come, Lillie." He tugged at her, gently.

She felt too weak to move, but let him pull her upright with her legs under her. She wavered, wiping her face. Looked out into the blackness and remembered―how she'd grabbed his coat and how she'd put her hands onto his face―

Lillie felt her face filling up with blood again. She must have _disgusted_ him, throwing herself onto him like she had―that was why he'd yelled no and tried to push her away. She covered her eyes and breathed out, shakily. Tried not to start crying again. How could she have _known?_

"I know my actions upset you," he said, calmly. "I do not wish you harm, Lillie. I..." he paused and made a short grunt of pain, adjusting himself. She could hear the swish of his coat against the floor, and... and she could smell the same smell of his bed on him. "Trust me when I say _this:_ You're as much a puppet as I am."

"A p-puppet," she repeated, shakily.

"I can't fully explain. If you knew as much as I have learned..." He sighed. "You would be in too much danger."

 _"Danger,"_ she repeated.

"Yes," he said, quietly. "There is a mind at work here, in Raven Rock, who is more than able to destroy us at its whim. The only reason we are alive is because it wills so."

 _"W-who―"_ she said, lowering her hands to her chin.

"I can't tell you that," he said. "That's the danger. Knowing who the enemy is... it's something one desires in a military engagement." His coat rustled again. "But _this_ isn't combat. This is an intelligent ploy designed for―" he paused.

"For _what?"_ she asked, shivering.

"I'm not sure, yet," he said, sighing. "But I am not prepared to fight it."

He sounded... so sad and vulnerable. Like she _felt._ Lillie's chest wrenched in pain. She―she never wanted to hate him, but he'd made it so easy―he'd been so _mean_ to her―

Could she bring herself to _trust_ him? Never lied to her. Never expected anything other than failure from her, either, and she'd given him that. Never seemed like he wanted to be in the same room as her, even if training her, and she'd never wanted him around, either.

But―his _hand_ on hers, in the medical bay... and him helping her back to her room, and then―

If he really _did_ care, and he wasn't trying to play her like a _fool_ ―she flushed a little. Being stuck alone with her thoughts was too much. It was too much to bear, to think she'd imagined Colonel Autumn as a brave knight, willing to defend her. And she'd tried to _kiss_ him.

Everything he was saying right now fed into that fantasy, and made her heart want to pop out of her chest and flail about on the floor. She _wanted_ to believe him. She _wanted_ to trust him.

But she couldn't―couldn't put in the _past,_ his horrible actions or his hateful words. "I―" she said, and stopped herself. She didn't know what to say.

"I realize that our interactions, up to this point, have been extremely strained." He sounded strained, himself. "I wouldn't presume that you would _forgive_ me for the past."

"No," she whispered. It seemed the thing to say.

"And I know you're going through a difficult time." He breathed out, loudly. "It was my intention to help you, rather than make you upset. I am sorry for that, Lillie."

Lillie dropped her hands to her lap, curling up her fingers and feeling the sticky blood. It _sounded_ truthful. It _sounded_ right. He hadn't―he hadn't tried to hurt her, or even yelled at her and she'd _shot_ him and―and now he was asking her to trust him and he wasn't _expecting_ her to forgive him―

She had blood on her face now. When she pressed her hands to her eyes, she'd smeared it over her cheek. _His_ blood. She'd hurt him. She'd hurt him, and she had blood on her hands, and _he_ was the one saying sorry.

That wasn't right. Lillie moved herself a little closer to the warm spot she could feel him occupying, and held out her hand with the palm up. "I'm sorry I shot you," she mumbled. "I―I'm... bloody."

He stood, with a squeak of rubber against the floor. She heard water running, and returned with a wet towel. Lillie felt him take her hand and wipe it clean, slowly, his hands trembling a little. _Just as scared as I was..._ she thought. It was a _weird_ feeling.

After a moment's hesitation, he put a finger under her chin and wiped her eye and cheek, scrubbing her a little roughly. "Where did I _shoot_ you?" she asked, her voice emotional. She felt terrible for that―she'd only wanted to aim the gun at him and make him leave her alone―

Colonel Autumn moved away from her and his coat rustled again. A thump of fabric and a soft movement later, he sighed. Didn't say anything, just more sounds of fabric rustling and a sharp intake of breath. Lillie reached a hand out, turning her head to him and grabbing at the air. "I'm sorry," she repeated, her voice wobbling.

He put his hand on top of hers and lowered it. Lillie dropped her hand to her side and felt herself brush against the damp towel. She put her hand on it, rubbing her fingers against the rough fabric.

"You need to go back to your own quarters," Colonel Autumn said, a little louder, a little more like his old self. "I will find the time to discuss... _this issue,_ with you. For now, we must be careful."

 _"But―"_ she said, picking up the towel and holding it with both hands.

"I will return you to your room," he said, putting a hand under her armpit and pulling her upright. "I must find an appropriate excuse for being shot. _...Lillie."_ His hand tightened a little. "Until we are in a better position, you must act as you _had._ Do not show me favoritism."

She grimaced, breathing quicker as he pushed her forward. The door opened and she gasped out at the chill that crept into the room. _"Okay,"_ she whispered.

It was a long, and very quiet, walk back to her room.


	10. X - Of the Product

Note: Hah, he still has his moments.

* * *

Augustus sat in the medical bay with his head tilted slightly to accommodate the doctor's treatment of his injury. Stared at the wall opposite him and pressed his lips together and heard the words the woman was speaking, but ignored them. Contrary to what he'd told her, no alcohol had been involved in the incident.

A good deal of asinine _thoughts,_ but absolutely no alcohol. He, in his utter exhaustion, had neglected to remember that his weapon was free. Had only himself to blame for that. That he'd laid the girl onto the cot in an effort to be a gentleman, and learned a lesson he'd never thought he ought to have.

That was, he couldn't trust even the weakest members of the weaker sex, and that he was an old _fool._

He'd passed out on his arms at the desk, unable to keep his eyes open any longer. He had been so enervated that he'd not minded to remove his coat. His back was stiff and his legs sore from the awkward position. ...No migraines. He'd woken up without a headache, and little pain other than the bullet grazing his shoulder.

Granted, that had been a _painful_ way to wake up. Augustus felt his lower eyelid twitching. Lillie wasn't quite as broken as he'd thought, if she was willing to hold a gun on him. It was mildly annoying to have his sympathy bought and paid for, and feeling he'd been overcharged.

He redressed, contemplating. Beyond confusing her, and embarrassing himself by having to admit he was sorry, he had managed to make some payment toward his goal. To take pride in his behavior, once again. To make himself less the abusive boor that he'd perceived himself to be.

Lillie had let him touch her without flinching away, which was a marked improvement given her sobbing meltdown onto his floor. She'd been willing to hear him out, and he was moderately thankful the girl was as smart as her father was, if not as idealistic due to her upbringing. She knew the value of diplomacy, or so it appeared.

If he could trust her to keep the deception from Eden―

He _didn't_ trust her, in fact. It was a risk one took, whether in combat or not, when one included the unknown into a plan. Lately, he'd felt the unknown was all that existed in his plans. Not trusting her to play along was just another pin in the cushion, at this point.

Another point jabbing at him from a soft pillow, trying to hide the danger and lull him into letting down his guard. He wasn't stupid; he had been bred and raised a soldier. Enclave from birth, and he'd never given quarter. He would die trying to achieve the Enclave's goal of a better America.

That goal was being suppressed by an enemy who had never had the opportunity to be "born", in any sense of the word. Eden sprang from the computational matrix like Athena, fully armed and willing to do battle. Much like Athena it was wise, manipulative, and jealous of the humans who looked to it for guidance. Petty and _punishing._

Augustus shrugged on his coat and fingered the hole that Lillie had inflicted. When he was her age, he'd had a very definitive ideal of what life was meant to be. He'd had two living parents, a bright future, and the skills to make what he wanted to, happen.

Damnable events, out on the coast. His father had thought that Eden was a light shining in the East, a veritable star leading them to their one and true leader. Augustus vaguely recalled a speech of the same, being made in order to convince the remainder to follow. Some hadn't, of course. And they were allowed to leave at their own leisure, with the understanding that no harbor would be given if they wished to rejoin.

This star in the east was less a beacon and more a prison run by a sociopathic intelligence designed by those who came before them―those who had destroyed the greatness that America had been. What it still _could_ be.

Augustus sighed and ran a hand over his chin. The matter of his pride was at rest, for the moment. He shouldn't waste a moment more, thinking about his past.

When he was facing such a devious being, he couldn't _afford_ distraction.

* * *

President Eden made itself available the next morning, and Augustus was entirely glad to hear the patronizing voice lecturing him on his behavior. It was "quite untoward" for him to have shot and destroyed the intercom in his room. Made it difficult for them to have "personal conversations."

"Sir... I feel that it is unnecessary for us to have developed personal rapport," he told it, ignoring the patronizing tone. He was glad to hear the insufferable bastard's voice. Meant that whatever it had planned, was either over with or about to begin. For the first time in a long time, he felt ready to face that plan.

"Ah, Colonel, you are my most trusted confidant," Eden said, clucking at him. "Where would I be without your _valuable_ wisdom?"

"I cannot say, sir," he replied, bitterly.

 _"I_ _can,"_ Eden said, and Augustus drew an involuntary breath at the implication. "As we are so close, I will overlook your indiscretion with the firearm. I've sent someone to repair the intercom. Now, Colonel, onto other business... Has there been any progress with VIOLA?"

Augustus frowned. "Not that I've been made aware, Mr. President. Other matters were more... _pressing._ The project lead on the Hellfire armors has proven himself unreliable."

Eden chuckled. "Discipline the man, then. I'll await your report. Remember, my dear Colonel... _no dilly-dallying."_

The light faded, and Augustus breathed out in relief. Regardless of the prior silence, he must remain firm against the supercomputer. At least, he was no longer concerned that it would spring itself upon him. More and more he felt the chill in the air and inevitable fright of Raven Rock's boogeyman.

He rubbed his eyes, and went back to work.

* * *

After a few days, there was a lull in production with the armors; Dr. Isben received his lens material and Augustus fetched Lillie from her room, to undergo the surgery. The requisition had actually gone smoother than expected, given the work schedule that Augustus had outlined for the researchers. And the constant mistakes that had been made by the project lead.

When he opened the door to Lillie's room, she was sitting on her bed and staring at the intercom light on the far wall. He'd noticed her color improving when he came across her walking the hallways, but had wisely stayed away from her. Today, she appeared to be in better spirits than he'd ever seen her.

He was glad to see that she looked healthier. She would not have issue with the surgery.

"Hello?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. Her hands went still, holding three pieces of ripped cloth that she had been winding together.

Augustus stepped into the room and cleared his throat. "Come, Lillie," he said, calmly.

Lillie jerked a little, then laid the cloth to the side and pushed herself upward. "O-okay," she said, sounding nervous.

He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into the hallway, probably a little too roughly. Lillie whimpered, trying to keep her feet steady. Her thin rubber shoes squeaked against the floor, and she stumbled into his shoulder, pushing herself backward quickly. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

He didn't reply. Moved himself away from her, and kept walking. Had to keep up appearances. He'd be the one two steps backward, if he didn't maintain the proper attitude.

"Colonel," Lillie asked, her voice curious. His head spiked with pain. Not the time for her to ask him some innocent-enough question that could expose the act. This was that unknown, rearing its ugly head. Augustus glanced at her from the corner of his eye... but he couldn't say that head was truly ugly.

His eye throbbed. Where―Lord, why was he thinking like _that._ He needed to focus on the problem ahead of him. Such frivolous thoughts were only a distraction that he could _not_ afford!

He pushed his attention away from that thought and frowned. "I do not want to hear you complaining," he snapped, as testily as he could.

 _"O-oh,"_ she said, her voice falling below a whisper.

She was crestfallen, of course. But he _had_ warned her, and he could not afford to let her throw a wrench into the works. Once she had her sight back, she would be able to train once more, and he would train her as he ought to have from the beginning.

He would make her a proper soldier, and he would get her out into the field. Maybe then, that damnable father of hers would take his offer of escape and find Lillie once she was away from the Enclave's clutches―

If anyone could figure a way to disconnect the VIOLA feed while preserving Lillie's vision, it ought to be her father. Autumn disliked the man for his philosophy; he had a much higher opinion of James' scientific capability.

Eden would have to find a new science project to obsess over, once those ties were cut. Augustus recalled a minor infatuation the _thing_ had had with Vault-Tec. Asked for as much recoverable information as could be found on the Pre-War institution, and received as much as the Enclave could provide. Augustus had thought that was why the supercomputer was so enamored of James and Lillie, as they'd been reported leaving Vault 101.

He had no reason to doubt. He was merely suspicious because of his animosity toward both James and Eden. Augustus felt the migraine worsening, digging into his eye and wiggling around.

"Colonel," Lillie said, again. She sounded insistent.

 _"What_ is it?" he snapped. It was easier to be rude when he was in pain. But, of course, that made him feel all the worse for actual intent.

"Thank you, for before," she whispered, wiggling her wrist under his hand.

"Now is not the time and place for such idiocy," he said, firmly. "Behave. I do not want to have to compel you to do so. Today has been rather unpleasant for me and having to discipline you would certainly _improve_ it."

"I'm sorry to hear that," she mumbled, her feet stumbling to keep up with his pace.

Augustus looked up at the walls, and turned a corner. He dropped her wrist after glancing about for a fraction of a second. Looked at Lillie, his knuckles white in a clenched fist, sweating beading on his brow.

"What did I say to you," he muttered at the girl. "I said be _mindful._ Stop trying to talk to me. You never know who could be listening."

"I know," she said, her mouth tugging in a sad smile. "I wanted to say thanks, though."

"You are a mindless puppet," he grumbled, and snatched up her wrist. "And puppets can be _made_ to please. _Behave."_

Lillie only nodded and moved with him as he led her along. Augustus delivered her to Dr. Isben and went back to work, leaving an order to notify him when Lillie was out of surgery.

Why she had thanked him, he had no idea. Yet another _unknown,_ in this sea of various unidentifiable things.

But... as he went about his work, he felt his mouth tugging into an unbidden smile.


	11. XI - Of the Routine

Lillie woke up and stretched, her mind comfortably numb and not a thought in her head. When she opened her eyes, there was a brief flash of black and white static before she registered that she could, indeed, see.

She was grateful her vision had come back, but... without it, she'd been able to―she'd slept in―in a bed used primarily by the man she'd disliked intensely, but it turned out he wasn't quite the evil that she'd come to know. Without the... vitriol he'd once held.

It was... she was _happy._ She felt better than she had, in a long time. Her imagination filled in all the little gaps that he'd left unspoken, and now she was imagining a power armored version of her knight, carrying a 10mm pistol because he needed no more.

It was extremely embarrassing, her imagination. She hated to _enjoy_ it so much.

"Lillie, wake up. It's morning, and we must face the day."

Today she was in her own room, and she could see the glowing intercom light on the wall, and she could hear President Eden's voice calling to her from it. It took her far too long to register that he was actually talking _to_ her and not inside the dream she'd been having.

Lillie's face flooded with blood. It had been a _very_ nice dream. She was ashamed to admit to herself the contents. Didn't regret that she'd had it; wished she could go back to sleep... but then, she would be alone with her imagination again, and that was enough of _that._ Lillie sat up in her bed and wiped her eyes, groaning.

"Are you awake, Lillie?" the President was saying, his voice growing testy.

"Yes, sir, Mr. President," she said, shrugging off the last bit of sleep.

"You appear sluggish this morning. Have you taken well to the reparation?" he asked. Lillie stared up at the intercom, still momentarily confused by what was real and what was not.

"I feel fine, sir," she said, softly. "I was dreaming."

"I can never recall mine," President Eden said, sounding amused. "Pray tell, what do you dream of?"

She flushed all the way to her toes. "Um," she said, looking down. "I don't... really _remember."_

He was curiously silent for a moment. "...Well, no matter. Come, join me in the Pledge of Allegiance."

Once the Pledge was finished, the President outlined a schedule for the day. It sounded awfully busy; with so much to catch up on, that she had missed out on while she was blinded. Lillie felt exhausted already. She rubbed her shoulder and pulled her jumpsuit off, changing into a clean one.

She had one arm through a sleeve and her arm brushed up against a nipple, causing her to pause. She was... they were erect, and it would show through her jumpsuit. Lillie flushed and quickly zipped up her suit, trying not to think about it. Her body working against her was so normal, now, she didn't know what else to expect.

"You are ready?" the President asked, and she turned to the wall.

"Yes, sir," she said, a bit shakily. After a moment's thought she opened her mouth to speak. "Um... Mr. President?"

"Yes, Lillie?"

"Will... will Colonel Autumn be there, today?" she asked, trying not to sound hopeful. Felt a little awkward, and entirely silly, for her to ask that. She fought the blood in her cheeks, hoping she didn't look as flushed as she felt.

"I don't think he has the time," the President said, evenly. "Would you rather he is?"

Oh―her cheeks filled to the brim. _"N-no,"_ she said, and winced at her tone.

"Gracious _me,"_ President Eden said, sounding amused. "I've gone off for a few days and you've suddenly changed into a different creature. Are you having _feelings_ for our beloved Colonel, Lillie dear?"

Lillie breathed out, shakily. "No, sir," she said, with more confidence than she felt. "I don't dislike Colonel Autumn, but he's..." she paused and laced her fingers together behind her back. "Altogether too rude and irritable for _my_ taste."

President Eden laughed, and Lillie stared at the floor, her cheeks warm. "It is perfectly _normal_ to feel for others, Lillie," he said, and she heaved a sigh. "Given that you haven't spent much time with any person other than him―or myself, but never in a physical capacity―"

"...If I were to feel for anyone, it would be Colonel Autumn," Lillie said, finishing his sentence. "As there is no other available opportunity to me, Mr. President."

"You would, wouldn't you?" he said, almost knowingly.

"I do _not,"_ she said, as firmly as she could.

"I suppose there is someone to suit you, somewhere." She could almost hear the smile in President Eden's voice. "We will find him, yet. Come, Lillie. Today is to be a very busy day."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Another two weeks passed before Lillie came face to face with Colonel Autumn again, after gaining her vision back. She had, of course, seen him in the hallways and immediately after the surgery, and he had on occasion issued her a brief order in the mornings, but sustained contact had been delayed.

Lillie wasn't sure if that was good or bad. She felt almost as if she wanted to see him―but not like she would on the training course; rather, she wished to speak with him about the ploy he'd referred to. In... _private._

That made her feel like she was going to explode. What was _wrong_ with her? She was acting moony like the people in her novels. That wasn't _real._ This _was._ She had to do better. It was one thing to imagine―which she oughtn't be doing, _anyway!_ ―but to lose her head like a fool around a man who didn't even _think_ in such a way toward her―

Lillie stopped herself before she entered the training room, breathing out evenly. This would be the first time she'd have been around him for longer than five minutes―and every five minutes before had been utter torture―she steeled herself. Stupid imagination. _Behave._

She pressed a hand her heart and took a deep breath, then stepped into the room.

"...and she's run the course without error several times since the apparatus was repaired," President Eden was saying. Colonel Autumn had his back to her, looking over the course, and he was nodding.

"And the firearms training?" he asked, without turning. Lillie felt her cheeks nearly exploding. _Stop it,_ she told herself. _Today is not that day―_

"I feel it is better that she receives... _hands-on_ training, when she is dealing with a lethal weapon." President Eden sounded amused. Colonel Autumn's hands clenched into fists and he turned around, staring up at the wall for a brief second.

His eyes dropped to hers, in surprise, and she felt the flush of blood so violently she thought she might pass out. Oh, God, she―she looked away, her eyebrows drawn together in a pained look. Her idiot head! _Stop it, Lillie!_

"I see you finally managed to show up," Colonel Autumn said, acidicly. "I've waited with such _bated_ breath."

"I'm sorry I'm late, sir," she said, breathing a little quicker. He was a lot better at pretending than she was, that was for sure. Her heart was pounding heavily in her chest.

"I can imagine. Let's get this over with." He turned to the side and strode off, his boots squeaking against the metal floor. "Find your equipment and meet me on the range."

Lillie nodded, and slowly moved to the corner where the locker containing her gun and armor was. She stepped into the locker room and dressed, then went into the range adjacent to the training room.

Colonel Autumn was standing with his back to her, facing the targets down the field, and Lillie moved up to him, pushing the clip into the 10mm pistol she'd been given. She glanced at his elbow, then held the gun up and breathed out.

"Five shots each," Colonel Autumn said, his voice strained. "Let's see how much you can disappoint me, _today."_

Her eyebrow twitched. _Much_ better than her.

Lillie's marksmanship was poor on a good day. Today was no different. After consistently hitting the outside edges of the targets for fifteen cycles, she lowered the gun and sighed out. She'd _never_ get to go out, without getting better―

Colonel Autumn sighed. "I suppose it can't be helped," he muttered, and Lillie flushed when he took the weapon from her hands abruptly. He held the pistol up at eye level with one hand―unlike her, he could hold it without wavering―and fired three shots in quick succession at the target.

His hits were touching, dead in the middle. Lillie watched as he turned around, handed her the gun back, and frowned. "Hold it like that."

"O-okay," she said, holding the gun with two hands, looking down at it. She breathed out, grasped the grip and aimed it with her palm under the clip―

"Mind the recoil," Autumn muttered, looking up at the ceiling.

Lillie pushed it out further, away from her face. "Okay," she said, a little more confidently.

"I suppose that's... better," he strained. "For the love of God, who taught you how to _stand?"_

Lillie blinked, then looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. Colonel Autumn grimaced, pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered, "Never mind." She fought the urge to smile at that; _he_ had been the one who taught her to stand as she was, and she'd always known it was wrong. But orders were orders...

After correcting her mildly, Colonel Autumn ordered her to shoot. Lillie aimed down the range, and eyed the target. She loosed her rounds, fighting the recoil, and lowered the gun by an inch or two, staring at the target.

She'd hit all five in the innermost circle. Colonel Autumn turned and walked away, leaving her alone on the range. Lillie turned her head and watched him leave, then ejected the clip and laid it on the station ledge. She checked the gun as she'd been taught, and carried both to the locker on the course.

"I don't think Lillie requires any more training," Colonel Autumn was saying to the intercom.

"Good," the President said. "Nothing lost from her blindness, _very_ good. We can schedule the field test."

She was about to close the door of the locker room when Colonel Autumn said he would examine the area for a target to recon. Her hand stilled on the release when President Eden specified a combat mission.

 _What?_ She hadn't ever been in a combat situation. How did he think she could―why would he send her out to fight when she'd barely been in training long enough to figure out the course? Lillie's heart pounded, the door open near her. She shut it, quickly, and redressed herself in her issued jumpsuit, then hesitated when it came time to open the door again.

Colonel Autumn was gone when she came out into the room, and she stared up at the intercom light, blinking in confusion. "Mr. President, sir?" she asked, cautiously.

"I think our Colonel Autumn has _deliberately_ confused you," President Eden said, sounding amused. "You've proven yourself entirely capable of completing training, after a few minor adjustments."

"Why would he do such a thing?" she asked, frowning.

President Eden was silent for a moment. Then, he said, "I know you have an abysmal opinion of Colonel Autumn―" Lillie snorted. President Eden chuckled. "Whether your opinion is estimable or abhorrent, I daresay you believe him _incapable_ of error."

"No one is incapable of error, sir," she said, firmly. "Even _you._ That is the joy of being human."

The President was quiet again, and then he spoke. "Yes, of course, Lillie. Our Colonel is _riddled_ with errors, however. I would like to demonstrate one such error... if you'll permit?"

"Of course, Mr. President, sir."

"Follow my directions, and I will greet you when we arrive."

Lillie obeyed, wondering what the President meant by showing her a fault in Colonel Autumn. She hoped he didn't think she was _really_ in love, or something.

...Mostly because she wasn't sure, _herself._


	12. XII - Of the Reunion

James was organizing his equipment before he broke for lunch, squinting at the label on the newest piece, when the door to the laboratory opened. He didn't turn to look immediately; if it was Autumn again, he didn't rightly care to speak with the man. Anyone else was a mindless drone that he shouldn't care about.

After he'd placed the equipment away in the proper receptacle, and shut the door, he turned. If the person hadn't spoken, it was probably a soldier―

His hand slid from the cabinet door and he nearly lost his balance when he saw who it really was. _"Lillie!"_ he said, surprised and confused.

The girl―a woman, _really_ ―standing before him frowned, and blinked once or twice. "Yes?" she asked, her voice full of concern.

James swept his eyes over her, taking in the sight. She was thin, and nearly the same height as he. Poor thing was doomed to live with his short stature―but she'd filled out in the last five and a half years, and her jumpsuit no longer lay flat against her chest. She had _hips!_ Good Lord, he'd never been ready for _that_ day to come.

Lillie looked at him and he saw his own face in hers. She had her mother's hair... the same yellow ringlets that he recalled adorned her head, a spotty patch on either side. He remembered the bumbling toddler again, and his hand curled up near his heart.

 _Pain,_ of course. He could see her mother in her eyes, shining back at him through the reflective lenses embedded in her orbital cavity. Judging him. As he ought to be judged, he knew. Right now, any number of Enclave researchers could be watching him through Lillie's eyes. Silently observing, recording. Why―

 _Why was Lillie **here,** though!?_

She looked around the room and identified the intercom light, and spoke to it. "Why am I _here,_ sir?" she asked, shooting a small glance at James.

So she really had been told he was dead. Jesus _Christ,_ she'd forgotten his _voice._ James felt his breath building hotly under the visor. He moved to remove the encompassing material, his hand stopping on the seal when Eden began to speak.

"I informed you I would illustrate my point," Eden said, neutrally. "You were told he was dead, but he is not. _Yet."_

Lillie looked confused, and James peeled himself out of the suit as fast as he could, nearly tripping as he shook off the suit. He moved across the room with speed, toward the shocked-looking woman―his daughter, whom he had not seen in _years―_

 _"Dad?!"_ she said, putting a hand to her mouth. _"Wha―"_ Her gaze went back to the wall for a moment. She put her hands out to stop him from grabbing her into a hug. "Wait!" she said, shrilly. _"Wait."_

James' heart sank when she turned to the wall yet again, looking up at the light with a frown. "This is―you're saying that he _lied,_ sir?"

Eden sighed. "I said that the Colonel was riddled with error. I did not specify what type. _Yours_ is the decision to be made, not mine, dear Lillie. Please report back to your room in one hour. Until then..." Eden cleared his throat. "Enjoy your visit with your father."

James held out a hand and placed it on Lillie's shoulder, shaking with emotion. "Lillie," he said, his voice caught in his throat.

She turned to him. _"Dad..."_ she said, and her eyes teared up, and she threw herself on his shoulder in a low wail. "I'm sorry, Dad, I _had_ to―I had to check with the President, I didn't _mean_ to be rude―"

"It's okay," he said. "It's okay." He rubbed her back through the jumpsuit, feeling her shuddering with a stilted cry. "It's _okay,_ Lillie," he said, and he _smiled._

For the first time in five and a half years, James was smiling.

* * *

Lillie told him about her actions most recently, being blinded after falling on the training course. James raised an eyebrow at her as she described how she'd fallen directly onto her nose and bled like crazy―her face animated and her tone angry.

"I was _so_ upset," she said. _"And―"_ She stopped short and drew her hands into her lap, and looked down. Her mouth tugged into a frown.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" he asked, reaching out and placing a hand over hers. Sitting at the bleak laboratory dinette wasn't nearly as depressing, today. He was relieved, ashamed, and overjoyed, to have her with him. Glad she was alive and well, but so guilty in his damning her to this―this ridiculous _dog-and-pony show_ that Eden was running.

"Colonel Autumn really _did_ lie," she said, slowly. "Obviously. He told me you were dead."

"I'd bet he enjoyed every second of that," James said, trying not to let the anger bleed into his voice. "But you shouldn't put any stock into his words. Neither _him,_ nor―" James sighed. She'd shown a very distinct loyalty to the President, when she first arrived. It was kid gloves, now; if she were to leave she might never come back. He wanted to squeeze every second he could, out of this visit. "The man is as well-spoken as a _snake,_ Lillie."

"I―" she twiddled her fingers in her lap. "I can't really say why I believed," she muttered. "I didn't think he _would_ lie."

"There isn't any love lost with that man," James grumbled. "I doubt he's got a moral bone in his entire body. It's _okay_ to have believed him, sweetie. You know the truth, now."

Lillie sighed and rubbed her eye. "But now... I can't _trust_ him," she damn near whispered, in a tone that sent a chill down James' spine.

Something, something probably quite unsettling for him, had been going on. James wasn't sure what to think, didn't want to think what was coming to mind. Most blatantly, his mind went to the physical reaction she'd had, moving her hands into her lap and acting defensive when speaking about Autumn.

"You and I both know how old your daughter is." Autumn had been referring to her adulthood, and―James was aware of how teenage girls could idolize men. _Especially_ when they had been denied a proper paternal figure. He fought a sick feeling in his stomach.

"What's going on, Lillie?" he asked, masking his agitation. "You ought _not_ trust the man. Why _would_ you...?"

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, wiped them away and set her mouth. "It's _nothing,"_ she said, firmly. "Nothing to worry yourself about. Did you know..." she switched the topic quickly, "I'm going on a field test, soon?"

James blinked, leaned back and removed his hand from hers. Ignoring that she had not told him the entire truth, and that she was obviously perturbed by something involving Colonel Autumn―he did not like the idea of Lillie being out in the wastes. Even if she was with Enclave soldiers.

But... if she were outside of the bunker, and he could finally manage his own escape―James felt the thrill of hope for the first time in ages. No matter the cost, if he could get himself free, and she was outside of Raven Rock, he _would_ find her. And he would remove her from the Enclave's grasping claws.

He watched her face, and imagined what she would look like outside of the dim blue lights of the bunker. How her hair would glow under the harsh wasteland sun, and what she would look like with a tan. How her eyes― _damn._ He would have to include exploratory surgery, to disable or remove VIOLA from her head. It was a morbid thought, wasteland surgery. But it was the only option they would _have._

"You'll be outside of the bunker," he said, stating the fact aloud.

Lillie coughed and wiggled her nose. James suppressed a chuckle, despite his sore thoughts. He remembered _that_ one. She had always done that when she was about to lie. As a small child, it had been _adorable..._ but as a young woman, it was not desirable to know she was willing to lie to him.

She was not the virtuous child he had imagined, anymore. He watched her, and waited.

"Yes," she said, and her nose crinkled up again. "Colonel Autumn said I'd be going on a recon mission."

That was definitely a lie. What purpose did it serve to conceal the truth from him...? He guessed that she was going to be performing some action he wouldn't approve of, or that she was engaging in some sort of Enclave chicanery that he definitely wouldn't agree with. James sighed, and pressed the issue.

"Lillie, if you see reason to lie, _please_ do it by omission," he said, tiredly. "I've got enough to worry about between President Eden, being separated from you, and Colonel Autumn's infrequent visits. I don't need to worry that you're being torn in half by some monstrous creature, _too."_

She colored violently. "It's a combat mission," she said, quietly. "I thought it would be better if you didn't know. ...I didn't _want_ you to worry."

James rubbed his eyes and looked at her, her face red and eyes down. "Christ," he muttered. "I finally get to see you, and now they're sending you out to get yourself _killed."_

"It's not like that," she protested, looking up. "I won't―I'm _not_ going to get killed."

"You say that with certainty, but I know you've never seen _half_ of the danger the wastes have to offer." James closed his eyes, and shook his head. "God forbid your mother ever live to see us, now. She'd put her foot down on this _moronic_ insanity―"

"Well, she _didn't_ live, did she!" Lillie said, testily.

James' frown deepened. "Lillie!" he said, reproachfully. _Teenagers._ He ought to have reigned himself in, but what could he do? He was only a father who had been denied his child, and she had grown up without a mother and father to guide her in her later years. It made him, understandably, _angry._

"You're―you're stuck _here!"_ she cried, growing agitated. "What else can I do _but_ help President Eden? He's been very _good_ to me. I _have_ to pay him back for my eyes―"

"Lillie, you wouldn't have _been_ blinded if _I_ hadn't brought you―" he jammed his mouth shut and calmed himself before continuing. The secret was still there, and he must still keep it. "It was _my_ fault. My debt to pay, _not_ yours. You should not be here, _at all."_

"You've been imprisoned for all these years because _I_ was stupid," she replied, tetchily. "Don't lecture me on blame. I've had _enough_ _to go around."_

 _"Lillie―"_ he began, but she'd stood up and was facing away from him. She shuddered once in a sob, and wiped her face. James watched her with a sinking feeling in his heart. She'd really bought into the Enclave's philosophy. She'd believed what they _wanted_ her to believe.

It broke his heart more than he had thought _possible._

"It's almost past time," she said, crossing her arms and looking at him over her shoulder. "I have to go back to my room."

"Please, Lillie, don't leave like this," James said, standing to move in front of her. "We haven't seen each other in so long, we _can't_ end it on a fight."

"I'm sorry, Dad," she said, wiping her nose. "But I'm... I'm _grown,_ now, and you're..." She looked about the lab. "You're stuck here, and I don't know if we'll ever see each other again―and you can't _help me,_ anymore."

James put his hand out onto her shoulder and squeezed it. "Not by _choice,_ Lillie. I _never_ would have brought you here if I had known they were working against us―"

Lillie moved away, taking a step toward the door. "It doesn't matter now," she said, dully. "I... I have to go. Have to... think some things over. I―" She turned to face him and wiped her face, and he saw the tears streaming from her eyes. "I'll ask to come see you, I promise, but I don't know if―"

James nodded, moved forward, and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her to him gently. "It's okay," he said, calmly. "I _understand._ I've asked to see you, too."

"I'll... I _hope_ I'll see you again, Dad," she said, and disentangled herself.

She left him with nothing to do but sink into a chair and hold his head in ache.

His poor daughter. _God help her._


	13. XIII - Of the Rage

Note: Thank you for the review, anon. Wouldn't be the first time I started something a little boring (looking at INF, same problem, same result too, the characters take a while to come into their own). I actually did that on purpose this time, so the problems could culminate... in these chapters.

edited for tensity problems, ironically enough

* * *

Augustus sat down at his desk to write up a proxy for some requisition-related nonsense about the Hellfire armors, something he ought to have done ages before but he'd delayed. This―he looked at the paper in front on him and rubbed his face. It was some idiocy related to Lillie's implant, and he was on the hook for finding a suitable replacement. The lens she'd had repaired required a steady hand; Dr. Isben did not have one. The man had wasted resources that were simply not available.

He would have loved to open the door and boot the man into the wastes, but President Eden's orders countermanded him. Isben could destroy half of the medical wing and he would get off scot-free.

Augustus downed a shot of scotch and waited for the slow buzz to overtake him. Paperwork was paperwork, whether he was drunk or not. And this... Augustus rubbed his temple, feeling the soft spike of pain forming. This was a two-shot kind of paperwork. The kind that one didn't care if the writing was legible, mostly because one simply _didn't care._

He knew _why_ he was so irritated. He'd thought that having his concerns vested would have taken the brunt of the weight off his shoulders, regarding his pride and his ill behavior. But even so, he was annoyed as easily as ever. Pushed into being an _ass―_

After that snide remark he'd made on the gun range, and seeing Lillie's face amused at his forgetfulness, he certainly knew _why._ She was _still_ the cause.

Eden made it painfully obvious that it desired the two of them to spend time together. Augustus was halfway convinced it was running some of sort of social experiment; after recalling the supercomputer's flair for Vault-Tec records, he'd examined the recovered data at his leisure. Despicable, what the company had done to citizens of the United States of America. It was for a nobler goal, but the sheer amount of people who had been lost...

There was a link between the Enclave and Vault-Tec. Augustus hadn't read into the reports prior to his remembered parallel, and now he regretted that. He hadn't been well-informed of the "Societal Preservation Program" before he started reading. He had known about the secret Vaults that had housed what would become the Enclave―he was aware of the existence of public Vaults, and some of the less than public ones, as well. The Vaults where generations of Autumns had lived.

Gone, now. Almost every Vault had failed, whether or not it was _intended_ to. The preservation program had failed, as well. What had begun as a laudable attemped to provide shelter to a minority of people had turned into some grand murder plot with a side line of unimaginable _terror._

So many different experiments―some more or less dependent on the residents, some designed to fail, some that were little more than badly-planned meat grinders. He was especially disturbed by Vault 11. If he himself had been in that same position...

He knew that he would have gone to his death willingly. He would have been another martyr for the cause. Blindly following orders was something he had done for his entire life, until Lillie and her father arrived at Raven Rock. It was how he was raised, and only _now_ did he truly understand the value of freedom.

Now that he was effectively denied that freedom. It was unnerving, how much of a _fool_ he'd been.

His cause was _failing._ His people were subject to the same poor planning and psychopathic schemes of those Vaults, designed to provide data. Eden was toying with them in the same manner Vault-Tec had, and _this_ time―this time there _was no backup._ No secrets under the earth, no untainted people waiting to start again.

The Enclave was _destined_ for failure, at this junction of time.

Augustus did not want to see it fail. Not when he had spent his entire _life_ keeping his people alive, and furthered _so_ many goals.

He grumbled under his breath. He'd drank more than he ought to have, again. Stared at the bottle with wavering vision and sighed to himself, rubbing his forehead with one hand and holding a pencil absently in the other. He was waxing on about some dramatic _hogwash_ when he ought to be working.

It was ridiculously stressful, having to keep his thoughts so focused. Not being able to properly express them, and having moments in which he violently spewed those thoughts forth. Uncontrolled, _unrestrained._

At least he wasn't speaking them aloud. He would _already_ be dead, not merely content with drinking himself to death.

He'd filled out the form and written in half a comment regarding the armor components when he realized he could barely see straight enough to read, much less write anything coherent. It was time for him to sleep. If the scientists knew he was in such a bad way, he could expect an immediate demand for his dismissal. Worse case, he would end up in one of the very armors he was trying to develop. Stuck on the front line in the wastes, guarding Enclave assets.

There were too many _people_ dependent on his knowledge, for _that_ to happen―he stood up, intent to go to bed―

"Colonel Autumn," Eden said, startling him.

Augustus nearly fell over, grabbing the desk for balance, and knocked the paperwork to the floor. So late in the evening―he did not expect the supercomputer to bother him. Unless it was an emergency, it wasn't _supposed_ to. It had _never_ happened.

"Yes?" he slurred, and turned his head in shame. Good Lord, he was too drunk. This _would_ end badly.

"You have a visitor arriving," Eden said.

Autumn frowned. "It's too late, sir," he managed. "I need my sleep."

"I did try to dissuade her," Eden said, sounding full of itself and highly amused. "But, I regret to inform you, my words are not much _salve_ for a wounded teenage ego. I will let you have your privacy, if you wish."

 _Lillie._

"Sir, I don't think this is _appro―"_

A loud knock on the door. Augustus pressed his mouth shut and breathed out through his nose in a rush, his hand gripping the edge of the desk too tightly. His glove split along his pinkie finger. He was so _very_ close to actually swearing out loud―

"Colonel Autumn?" Lillie asked, through the door. She sounded angry and insistent. "May I _please_ speak with you?"

Augustus' free hand went to his temple, furiously rubbing the skin. The leather of his gloves bit into the skin and made the pain worse. He felt his temper rising, not slowly but critically peaking, and he closed his eyes.

Couldn't open the door for the girl. It was the middle of the damn _night!_ The very idea of the girl in his room at such an hour―he recalled the _last_ time it had happened, a turn of events likely put into place by that insufferable _bastard―_

 _All_ of this was put into place by that _goddamned computer!_

Augustus reached out and picked up the first thing that struck his hand―the scotch bottle―and he hurled it at the intercom light, shattering the glass casing and spilling the remainder across the wall.

 _"Colonel?"_ Lillie said, through the door. Now she sounded concerned. _Damn_ that stupid girl! Why could she not _listen_ to him! She'd never been as much trouble before, when he'd had her under his _heel!_

"I do not think you can hide from this problem, Colonel," Eden said, its voice distorted by the wet and fizzling circuits of the intercom. "I will open the door, if _you_ will not―"

Augustus' patience finally snapped. He jabbed the door release and reached a shaking hand out into the hallway, grabbing Lillie by her wrist. She shrieked as he pulled her into the room with a snap, causing her pain, and shut the door behind her. She was released the minute her foot was in the door, stumbling to the floor and crying out in surprise.

"Are you _happy?"_ he yelled at the intercom. "Your inane _plot_ has finally―"

"Colonel, you are obviously very agitated," the intercom warbled. "Calm yourself before you damage Lillie further. She is _very_ valuable, as you'll recall."

He didn't need a _warning_ from that monstrosity of science. He knew _precisely_ how valuable Eden considered the girl―and how much value he, _himself,_ had placed onto her. Sympathy bought and paid for, and his damned money was _not_ legal tender!

Augustus turned and glared at Lillie, who had curled up on the floor and was watching him with wide tear-filled eyes, her chin bobbing in hiccups. "You are _not_ hurt," he snapped. _"Leave._ I have _no patience_ for you, _tonight."_

She stared at him for a moment, her shining eyes reflecting back onto him his sins. Again―he had failed himself. He might as well _give into_ the goddamn supercomputer and let himself fall to _baser actions!_ There was absolutely _nothing_ he could do to prevent the terror she must feel―

 _"Get out!"_ he raged, casting a hand at the door. _"Get **out,** Lillie!"_

Lillie uncurled a little, putting a hand on the edge of the bed, and pushed herself up onto one knee, looking horrified. Horror-struck, by his actions. Well, _that_ wasn't new! He glared at her, and turned his eyes back onto the wall as Eden spoke further.

"Are you going to watch this debacle tomorrow?" Eden asked. "Or will you simply _destroy_ the recording, again?"

He grimaced. That night―admitting to himself his failure. Of _course,_ he'd been _watched._ Eden had been observing the entire bunker without blinking for its entire existence. He could not expect privacy even when Eden _promised_ it―and it was stealthily guiding this situation into some _disastrous_ outcome. _For what purpose―_

"I am rather curious to see how you intend to self-medicate after this―" Eden continued, but he was silenced by a curt rebuttal of Augustus' pistol. Lillie shrieked and covered her ears, curling up again on the floor.

"Did I not _warn_ you, you _stupid girl!"_ he roared at her. "I _tried_ to be friendly! You couldn't leave _well enough alone!_ You couldn't, for _one **minute** portion_ of your life, **_understand_** that there are _bigger_ problems than _your **own?!"**_

Tears fell from her eyes like there was no end, streaming down her face. Augustus did not pause―he turned his gun onto her, breathing hard and staring intently at her. "You are a _puppet,"_ he said, "and you can be **_made_** to behave."

Lillie screamed, and kicked out a leg, knocking his knee out from under him. He was glad― _Christ,_ he might have actually _shot_ her if she hadn't fought him―

Augustus hit the floor, his pistol sliding across the metal, landing awkwardly on his hands and feeling the incomparable ache of arthritic joints. His forehead narrowly missed the edge of the bed as he fell forward onto Lillie's legs, his own skating out behind him and turning the chair over his calves.

Lillie kept screaming, kicking out and pushing herself backward, her feet hitting him in the face and the bullet wound on his shoulder. Fire laced through him, disabling him momentarily. He groaned in pain, cradling his side, as she managed to get her feet underneath herself and fled the room.

Eden chuckled, sounding otherworldly over the damaged intercom. _"Perfection,"_ it said. "Thank you, Colonel Autumn. You have performed your part _admirably."_ The voice slowly disappeared into a drawn-out growl as the intercom failed.

Augustus hissed in pain, pushing himself up with one hand, and looked about for his weapon. It was _gone,_ goddammit―

 _Lillie_ had taken it.

He stood, limping. She was definitely smarter than he'd thought, even if she was capable of such moronic actions―but now she was loose in the bunker with a _loaded weapon_ and a decidedly _unpleasant_ frame of mind―

He poured himself into the hallway, bloodied hands sliding down the door frame. Eden's voice rang out around him, echoing through the bunker. Didn't care about the words. Augustus' shoulder bled freely from torn stitches. He looked about blearily, for a subordinate. For anyone other than _himself_ to chase the girl down―

"One of our member has chosen a path that we cannot take," Eden boomed. "She has chosen _willingly._ You are _not_ to hamper her progress."

Good _God,_ she―Eden was letting her _outside―_

Without _any_ sort of protection, without _anyone_ to mind her, and with that damnable VIOLA playing her sight back _perfectly―_

Augustus lurched himself out of his room and worked his way, painfully, towards James' prison cell.

Cad though he _was,_ he could _not_ let Eden have the upper hand.


	14. XIV - Of the Revelation

James had been sleeping fitfully, unable to become comfortable on the cot in the tiny room beyond the prison laboratory. Every time he felt as if he were able to nod off, his leg would itch, his nose would dry out, or his fingers would ache from the countless slides he'd examined or knobs he'd turned.

He simply _couldn't_ put Lillie out of his mind; the events of the day had been draining, but exhilarating. His little girl, all grown up... but grown up, on the _wrong_ side of the wasteland.

Why couldn't that damn Overseer have let them in?! None of this would have happened if Almodovar had simply opened that door! If he had been able to raise his daughter, without any barrier and in his own way, she would not be evincing these _negative_ behaviors―

James ran a hand over his beard and remembered how she'd lied. She knew she was lying to him. She was still hidden from him, five years after she'd presumed he was dead, but by her own design. What would cause her to think that was acceptable? That lying to anyone, _whatsoever,_ was something that was done?

And what manner of relationship had Autumn to her, to cause her such concern upon learning of his lie? To think she could have trusted him for even a _moment_ was distressing enough. But understanding she'd trusted him so much, that she was dazed by her inability to continue doing so? How much stock had she put into his words, and just how far had that trust _gone?_

It was something he hadn't actually anticipated, finding that Lillie had... God, he didn't even _want_ to think about it. Torture for a father who could do nothing to prevent or separate the persons involved. He felt so _helpless._

James had all but given up on sleep and was staring miserably at the ceiling of the room, when a commotion outside of the lab made him sit straight up on the cot. After a moment's listening he peeled himself from the canvas and made his way into the lab area, staring at the doorway curiously.

The door opened, and James frowned in confusion as Colonel Autumn stepped into the room. Slumped, really. The man was wounded, but not grievously so; he was bleeding steadily from his shoulder and ear, a stream of drying blood overlaid by fresh down the sleeve of his coat. A bruise spread across his cheek and one eye was bloodied, and his leg pulled behind him in the manner of a cripple. His entire body was limp, and he looked exhausted.

"James," Autumn slurred, and slogged his way over to a chair. "We have a _problem."_

"What happened?" James asked, taken aback by the man's appearance.

Autumn lowered himself onto the chair, groaning. He rubbed his temple, leaving a streak of blood across his eyebrow, and blinked numbly. "Among... among _other_ things," he began, his voice strained and completely unrecognizable, "your daughter is on the run with a loaded weapon."

"Good _Lord―"_ James moved forward, facing Autumn and frowning deeply. "What the hell, Autumn? Are you― _drunk?"_

Autumn groaned, moving a hand to lean on his uninjured knee. "I _am,_ but you need to _listen_ to me―"

"What―where _the hell is Lillie!?"_ James' fingertips dug into his palms, terror rising in his chest.

"James," Autumn barked, rubbing his temple again. "Lillie took my weapon and she's _gone!"_

"Yes, that is true," Eden said, over the intercom.

James raised an eyebrow and slowly turned his head to the wall. _"What?"_ he breathed. He would have panicked. _Should_ have. Witnessing the manipulation of Lillie by Eden and the Colonel, he wasn't as certain that this wasn't some ridiculous attempt to produce the same in him. It could be some _deliberate_ ploy―and James wasn't about to let himself be played by the bastards.

Autumn chuckled under his breath and went limp in the chair, grunting. "Lillie had... a rather _unexpected_ reaction to an altercation between myself and President Eden," he said. "She disabled me and stole my sidearm."

"She was trained by the _best,_ was she not, Colonel Autumn?" Eden asked, amused.

"She was," Autumn said, smiling slightly. As if in memory, a pleasant smile.

James frowned at the man's expression. He did not like this implication, either, which was closer to proving his suspicions. "Good _God,_ man, _what in the hell is going on?!"_

"I came here to set you loose, to have you go after her," Autumn said, wiping sweat from his brow. "My―plan was not one anticipated _necessary,_ except perhaps―by President Eden―" He grunted, and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Correct again, Colonel," Eden said, the only calm voice in the room. "But I _did_ say that we would have a field test. A combat test, if you recall, Colonel."

Autumn rubbed his temples, wincing in pain. "I _recall,_ sir. And I gave my objections."

"You let Lillie go out there without any sort of protection _whatsoever?!"_ James raged, standing straighter. Autumn opened his eyes and stared at James. James did _not_ want to see the interminable sadness that was in the man's eyes―or think about what _that_ meant―

"I _apologize,_ James," Autumn sighed. "She does have my pistol, one bullet less a full clip. And she's adequately prepared for hand-to-hand combat―"

"I hardly think her ability is proven in _that,_ Colonel," Eden threw in. "She incapacitated an old man who was far too drunk to stand up straight; whom she had previously shot, while completely blind. I believe that you never actually intended to harm her, even when you turned your weapon on her."

Autumn turned his head away. James glared at the man, his patience worn thin. What situation had Lillie―his gentle, _sensitive_ daughter, who had never been violent before―what _situation_ had _they_ put her in! And _why?!_

"Just what in the **_hell_** have you been doing with _my daughter,_ _you―"_

"I _didn't_ intend to harm her!" Autumn shouted, glaring back at James. "I was put in a _difficult_ position―" he threw an arm out toward the intercom, his wounded arm, and flinched in pain. "Listen to me, James, I did not wish for _this_ to happen! Everything that _has_ happened―was a result of _manipulation!"_

James was not a violent man. Like Lillie, he was soft-spoken and kind, but when he was cornered he could prove extremely acerbic. Unlike Lillie's reported actions, though, words were his sole weapon. Words with which, he knew how to cut like a knife.

"Is that another _lie,_ like how you told her I was dead?" he asked, icily. "Or am I to understand that you expect me to believe an _admitted_ _liar?"_

Autumn chuckled, smiling in a pained way. "You can't hurt _me_ with your words, James. I am no wilting flower to your poison tongue. I did not _want_ to hurt Lillie. That _―thing―"_ he swung his arm out again, groaning loudly. Pointing at Eden's intercom light. "That _goddamn computer_ forced my hand, allowed me to imprison you, and has sown the seeds for _Lillie_ to―" He stopped himself, and clenched his jaw together. Didn't say another word, just stared intensely at the floor.

 _Computer._ James lowered his eyebrows, surprised though he might be. That, he thought, made _sense._ Too _much_ sense, actually. It explained so many disparities, that James could think of no other solution that fit. It also bade so much _ill_ that, as Lillie's only living family, he was actually _glad_ that she was out in the wasteland.

A computer that could behave as Eden did was no _ordinary_ computer. It would be highly dangerous, and able to do whatever was necessary to attain the goal it had set for itself. And that goal―he frowned. It would have the patience to plan over such a long period of time, that no mortal being could understand what it intended.

He turned his head with a snap to the intercom light. "What is the _purpose_ of sending Lillie out in this way?" he asked, calmly.

"Why, James," Eden said, equally calmly, "to gain access to Vault 101, from whence you came. What other purpose _could_ there have been?"

 _"Wh―"_ James' eyes opened widely. Lord, he―Eden still thought he and Lillie were from the _Vault!_ If Lillie actually traveled there, she couldn't hope to get inside! And― _God,_ his own position inside of Raven Rock would be compromised. He would _surely_ be executed for treason, once the secret was out―

And Lillie―she was _already_ outside but once the Enclave discovered her true origins she _would_ _be betrayed!_

 _"_ They won't open the door for _her!"_ James protested. "They don't open that door for _anyone!"_

"If that is so," Eden replied, "how is it that _you_ managed to leave? And, might I add, there have been reports over the years of scouts sent to examine the nearby area. 101 suits are not unknown to the people of the wastes, James. There have been others."

 _"But―"_ James gritted his teeth. _That_ was true enough, it was why Moriarty in Megaton had the necessary information to sell to him. Vault dwellers had explored the area, and he'd thought that would mean that the Overseer might be lenient.

"Those people are untouched," Autumn said, slowly. "A base point for humanity to renew itself, in this terrible world. We could rebuild the greatness that the Enclave was, before." He massaged a temple slowly, and James shot him an irritated glance.

"President Eden―" he said, strained. He needed to get out of Raven Rock―to find a way to Lillie before she managed to get to 101 and learned she was not actually of the Vault. "How do you know Lillie will go _there?_ She knows absolutely nothing of the outside world! To think she would remember such a place―she was barely _born_ when we left!"

Autumn sighed, bringing James' attention back to the man. "Lillie was given suggestive cues in training, to teach her the way," he said, tiredly. "It's standard procedure to replicate the wasteland environment in training. I did not _see,_ until now."

"Yes," Eden agreed. "We are the Enclave, James. We have not survived this long by _accident._ One misstep might cause critical mission failure..." it paused, dramatically. "And that is a misstep we simply _cannot_ afford to take."

Autumn looked up at James with such a tortured face that he couldn't help the sympathetic response he made. "Colonel," James said, as calmly as possible, "you recall my _private_ opinions?"

"I do," Autumn muttered.

"I would like to exercise them _now."_

Autumn laughed a little. "I am glad to hear you've come around," he said, and he did sound relieved. "But this is one of those moments where a _public_ opinion would be more valued."

Eden cleared its throat, ignoring their conversation. "James, Lillie is on a path to Vault 101 as we speak. When she arrives, she _will_ gain access. There is no other outcome to my actions. I have calculated without error."

Autumn shook his head. James turned his attention back onto Eden. "And if you made a mistake?"

"I do not _make_ mistakes," Eden said. "Colonel Autumn stopped listening to me; the end result was that you and Lillie were used to facilitate my plan. Without Autumn behaving so _predictably―"_ it chuckled, dryly. "The Enclave's goals would not have panned out."

James pressed the issue. "But if Lillie _cannot_ get into the Vault―"

"If, by some odd occurrence, Lillie does not manage to enter the Vault, you will be used to compel her into action. One way or another, the Vault will open to me. I _have_ foreseen it."

"I find it hard to believe," James muttered, "that she would care. You've filled her head with such _nonsense―"_ he growled to himself "You'd be more likely to get a reaction by using Autumn as bait!"

Eden chuckled. "That _is_ true," it laughed in a knowing manner.

James' blood ran cold. The computer had confirmed his suspicions, in a cruel manner. "What the hell does _that_ mean?!" he shouted. "Dammit, I'm tired of all these― _unanswered questions!"_

"I suggest you educate the good doctor, Colonel," Eden said. "When you are finished speaking with him, you may report to me. Good _day,_ James."

 _"Eden!"_ James yelled, throwing his a fist up and slamming it into the table. There was no answer. James turned to stare at Autumn―filthy and bleeding―

"I _will_ explain as best I can," Autumn said, tiredly. "I expect no less than your ire, James. I've been..." he sighed. "I have treated Lillie horribly, and I _am_ paying for it."

James sank into a chair beside the Colonel and stared at him. Everything had gone _insane_ ―but he knew where he wanted to _start._

"Why don't you tell me why Lillie trusts you so _goddamn_ much," he seethed, staring at the man.


	15. XV - Of the Ruse

Note: Edited for content.

* * *

When she ran, she didn't go _far―_

She was upset and crying and terrified, but she didn't flee the bunker. She only wanted to hide from Colonel Autumn because he was so, _so angry―_

He didn't have to aim his _pistol_ at her like that! She'd been getting ready to _leave_ ―and he'd―

She ran to the training course, collapsing onto the mat and hiding behind the barrels, her face filled with blood and her head fuzzy. Her arms shook in panic, her hands weighed down by what she thought at first was _guilt,_ but then―she remembered. Her hands were weighed down with metal, _not_ with intangible emotional concepts.

"One of our member has chosen a path that we cannot take," someone said, the voice so distant that she couldn't place who was speaking.

Lillie cried uncontrollably, curled up on the plastic mat and squeezing herself into the gap between the barrels. It was a minute or two before she heard the President calling to her from the intercom. She―wiped her face and breathed out, shakily. She had to keep it _together_ ―this was bad, but she still―

Her fingers were still curled around _his pistol._ The heaviness in her hands. Lillie looked down at it and blinked. She'd―she'd picked it up because that was what she was _trained_ to do. When disarming an opponent, one removed their weapon as far away as possible. She'd taken _his_ pistol because he'd dropped it and she wasn't about to let him _shoot_ her.

Colonel Autumn's pistol, in her hands again. She lowered it to the floor, letting the barrel touched the mat. Why had she taken it? He hadn't... last time, _he'd_ disabled it, and he hadn't been _able_ to shoot her.

"Lillie, listen to me," President Eden was saying. "I promise you will be safe, if you follow my direction."

 _Safe._ She felt her face prickling in shame. She had been safe in the bunker―but not now. Not now that she'd actually _attacked_ Colonel Autumn on purpose―he'd tried to _kill_ her! There was no other reason for him to turn his pistol on her! Loaded and ready, unlike the last time―

And she'd kicked him in her panic, taken him down, stolen his weapon and fled. She could have killed him, herself, but―but she didn't _want_ to kill him, why would she want that? He was her... _knight_ in shining armor...

Oh, _God,_ though. She'd hurt him so _very_ badly. Kicked him so hard that she'd left bloody footprints on her way out. Hit him where she'd hurt him before, and made him fall and she was sure she'd kicked him in the face―she stifled a sob. _Oh, why!_

"Colonel Autumn has ordered your arrest, Lillie. But do not worry. I know the truth about what happened. I _will_ help you."

He didn't _have_ to turn his pistol on her. She was aware of how proficient he was with a firearm. He could have killed her without even trying, if he wanted. If she hadn't knocked him down... he _might_ have.

 _Would_ he have?

"You should leave the bunker, Lillie. Colonel Autumn will undoubtedly attempt to finish what he has started. I simply _cannot_ allow you to come to harm. Listen to me, and you will be safe."

Lillie shuddered out another sob. She didn't want to _believe_ that he might have shot her. Maybe he―she was grasping for _any_ kind of explanation, now―maybe he was only trying to not show favoritism, like he'd told her she shouldn't? Maybe he'd meant to _scare_ her away from him so she wouldn't get hurt?

Maybe he had only meant to scare her―well, it'd _worked―_

But―she was confusing herself. She felt so _terrible_ for hurting him! He was angry and _drunk_ and she―she'd _deliberately_ gone to his room, so she could talk to him about the _lie_ ―it was all her fault, again. _Her_ fault she'd worked him up―

"Lillie, I've opened the door. The Colonel's men are on their way. I cannot protect you, any longer. You can leave. You _must_ leave."

She lifted the pistol to her eyes, and ejected the clip. Eleven bullets. _Almost_ full. She looked around the room, finding the weapon locker, and her shoes squeaked against the mat as she pushed herself to the corner. Pulled open the door, grabbed out the armor and the spare rounds, and slammed it shut.

"You _must_ leave the bunker, if you wish to avoid execution. I will facilitate your release," President Eden was saying. Lillie ignored him for a moment, checking the condition of the pistol.

Near _perfect._ Colonel Autumn was a good soldier. He would be coming after her, soon. She _had_ to run. She had to run because he _was_ going to have her arrested for attacking him.

Lillie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. No matter how _forgiving_ she had been of him, or how _wonderful_ his kindness in holding her hand had been... no matter how much she'd _wanted_ him to be her knight, or how many fantasies she'd had...

He was a soldier, first. He would _not_ go easy on her for attacking him.

She breathed out, shakily, and opened her eyes to look down at the pistol. She should worry about other things, later. Right now, she needed to be safe, and to get out of here. Leave the bunker and go _outside―_ and secure the situation, so she could figure out where she could go.

"I'm ready, Mr. President, sir," she said, turning her head to the side but not looking at the intercom.

"I do hate that we have to part in this way," President Eden said, "but I will rest assured in the knowledge that _wherever_ you may go, you will be safer."

"Thank you, Mr. President."

"Now, Lillie, you will need to go up two flights of stairs..."

* * *

Lillie spent the first two hours outside of the bunker hidden atop the rocks, above the entrance. She'd―at first she'd thought it would be better to sit a while, and rethink her decision to leave, as prompted so suddenly by President Eden―and no one came to chase her off, so...

After crying herself out again, curled into a ball up on the rocks, she stared blankly at the white sky and tried to think straight. To not let the _stupidity_ get to her. It was amazing what the change of scenery did for her bad feelings―

But it just wasn't possible that she could go back inside. Not facing the punishment that she deserved, for hurting him. Even if she _were_ forgiven, she'd deliberately wounded a _superior officer._

She thought she understood what had happened. She knew why Colonel Autumn reacted like he did. She shouldn't have gone to see him. Should have listened to President Eden... But she'd been so _mad._ He'd _lied!_ He'd _lied to her face_ and told her that her dad was _dead!_

 _Why?!_ Unlike all the _other_ times he'd been cruel to her, _this_ one stood out― _this_ one was far beyond cruel. To tell her that her father was dead when he'd really been put to work by the President―

Like she would feel _better_ if he was dead? Like she wouldn't miss him _every_ day―

But... Lillie wiped her face and looked up at the clouds, thin and tiny on the sky. It was so _beautiful._ So breathtaking, seeing something so different from the dull metal walls of the bunker. It was so hard to be angry when the real world was so _wondrous._

She'd... she _had_ moved on, after her dad was gone. She'd grieved, and she'd let go, and she was smart enough to understand that whatever reason Colonel Autumn had to tell her that _terrible_ lie―his was a reason he'd not been able to tell her due to the plot against them. If... if she trusted he was telling the _truth_ when he told her they were both puppets.

That secret _was_ dangerous. Someone in the bunker was trying to manipulate them―and she'd exposed that she knew about it. She'd―played into her anger and outed both herself and him. Made the secret, _not_ so.

Was there _really_ a secret plot...? Was it even _real?_ Lillie closed her eyes and thought hard.

President Eden had tried to talk to her, to talk her out of going to speak with the Colonel. She was angry, and didn't _care._ She'd knocked on the door and he'd pulled her in, nearly making her hit her head. And he'd...

She sat up on the ground a little straighter, looking out over the rocks and dirt. "Are you _happy?"_ he'd asked. "Your inane plot has finally―"

Colonel Autumn had scared the hell out of her, because she'd thought he was talking to her. But he _wasn't._ And... somehow she got the feeling it was _supposed_ to go that way. His face... when the President said those things to him... how he'd looked...

"Are you going to watch this _debacle_ tomorrow?"

President Eden was talking to Colonel Autumn. What he said didn't make any sense.

Eden must have been watching, too, when the Colonel had nearly hit her. Was... he chastising Colonel Autumn? Or was he―was _he_ the one that the Colonel meant? The manipulator? There was no one else, she knew. No one else had the opportunity.

She frowned, thinking back. VIOLA let her see, and the scientists could record what she saw. She understood that. Maybe Colonel Autumn... was watching her watch him through her eyes? Why would he _do_ that? She supposed he was expected to keep an eye on the program, because he was in charge of her well-being, but...

Lillie's heart hurt. Was _that_ why he'd tried to make it up to her, by holding her hand? Because he saw how terrible _he'd_ acted, and wanted to make things better? Because he'd watched himself being cruel to _her_ and―

"I _regret_ what I've done. I'm _sorry._ It wasn't who I am."

Everything he'd done, he knew he'd done, and he was sorry. He _had_ been pushed. Like he'd told her, someone was manipulating them. It had been shown to her that he was being manipulated to react like he had―and she wouldn't have known a single thing _about_ it if she hadn't been watching him so closely.

If she hadn't been―she flushed and looked down at his gun in her hands. If she hadn't been looking in his eyes and seeing how _awful_ he felt, seeing how―

How many times had he seen her looking in _his_ eyes and watched his own feelings put _back_ on himself? How much of her _fright,_ caused by his anger and terrible actions, had he replayed? She couldn't _imagine_ seeing herself through another person's eyes. Seeing what she was in _truth._

"I wouldn't presume to ask you to forgive me for the past."

No, she _wouldn't_ forgive him. He'd lied about her _father_ being _dead._ She couldn't forgive that. But... unlike her dad, who was angry at the Enclave for doing such a horrible thing, she understood _why_ he'd acted that way. Why he'd... why he'd not wanted her to know it was him being kind to her.

Because, even though he had been cruel, his _punishment_ was knowing that cruelty played back on him. Reliving it every day, maybe, in stereoscopic truth and knowing that all the _other_ people in the bunker could see him, too. Like the President. Lillie sighed. She knew it _was_ true. It was unavoidable.

Colonel Autumn must be in _Hell,_ knowing that he was always watched. Knowing that he would be judged, constantly.

Her chest ached in pain for him. When he said he had no patience―he'd stared at her with some weird emotion in his eyes and she didn't know if she could bear to see it again. It was... it was the same look he'd given her, briefly, on the training course. Before the firearms training, when he was acting so mean. For the tiny fraction of a second that she'd seen that look―

Lillie bit her thumbnail and stared out at the world. That look made her _insides_ melt. She―he was―she sighed out in a shudder, and cried a little more. God, she really _didn't_ know if she... and maybe _he..._ maybe he was having the same problem.

Her _knight_ in shining power armor, who'd pulled a pistol on her and forced her out of the bunker to keep her away from the one who was hurting them both. To make her _safe._

 _Stop it, imagination. You're blowing this out of proportion. It's not love, it's infatuation. That's all._

Lillie wiped her face, sucking snot up into her head, and stood up. To believe that... that the President was pushing them in this way―it must be for a purpose. She was outside of the bunker now, and that meant there was something that President Eden wanted her to do.

She couldn't go back inside. No one would let her back in, anyway, and if―if President Eden wanted her outside, then she was outside for a _reason,_ and she had to find out what that was. There was nothing else to do but to press onward, and...

She smiled with one corner of her mouth. And come back to make things better for _everyone_ in the bunker... for her father, for the doctors, for... her _knight._

She looked down at her hand, at Colonel Autumn's sidearm. She had the sword, and she knew how to use it. Maybe―

Maybe _she_ was the knight in shining armor, today.


	16. XVI - Of the Recognition

Note: I had intended for things to go a slightly different way, but it's not following, so sorry about that. Lillie will be back to her normal self soon enough.

 _edited for content_

* * *

"How did your talk with the good doctor go, Colonel?"

Augustus kept his hands behind his back. Stood as straight as he could―no easy feat, with his leg put out by that damned good kick―and stared through one swollen eye, at the casing that contained Eden. He felt his mouth tugging up into a smile again, his body sore and coat bloodied.

 _Hell of a day._

He composed himself for his report to Eden. The events that had occurred, such as they were, lent to him knowledge. From his viewpoint, it neither helped nor hindered him to know what he did―Eden _knew_ he knew. It would out-think him at every turn. It had been out-thinking him even when he realized he was being manipulated, and refused to cater to its whims.

Damnable _machine._ He couldn't give into the thing, again. He _would_ fight.

Everything that had become, led to his first visit to this particular part of the bunker; his first visit to what Eden actually _was._ If it was not concerned to reveal its "body" to him... he wasn't concerned, either. Eden thought him no threat. It was a sort of freedom that he could appreciate.

And perhaps he could use that to his own benefit. Augustus fought the smile that wanted to overcome his face. He shouldn't be triumphant. He was in pain, and he let the pain show. Let the damn thing think it had won this battle.

 _But not the war._

"James is understandably _concerned,"_ he told it. He swallowed, his mouth dry. The scotch was still running its course. He was too fatigued to keep himself from showing his poor attitude.

"And are you?" Eden's "face" was just another intercom light. A red, unblinking eye in the dark. Augustus stared at it without really seeing. _"Concerned_ about our dear Lillie?"

He ignored the implication. He'd had plenty of that kind of insinuation from James, who hadn't quite believed him when he'd said his intentions were not to foster―dare he say it― _romance,_ but a friendship. Lillie had been pleasant enough when she'd come to trust him, but he was well past her age. Out of his prime.

Even thinking of beginning some sort of May-December romance―he honestly wanted to laugh at the supercomputer. The sheer ridiculousness of Eden's scheme had depended on the failure of their relationship, never mind what was read into it. It shouldn't matter what he continued to feel, for the girl.

He'd very nearly shot her, and Eden still presumed his feelings for her were pleasant ones. And... it _wasn't_ untrue. Augustus was proud of her. She'd been trained by him and she had taken him down, never mind his altered state. She had not caved to the weaker emotions she was prone to, but reacted in a very efficient and military manner.

She'd genuinely fought him, and he appreciated the irony. His ill actions brought to a head and Lillie was the victor.

 _Good girl._

But he felt the awkward sickness in his gut churning. If she didn't understand why he'd been so violent... he couldn't blame her. He was facing his own problems, problems enough that he could barely afford to be worried for her.

He did, though. Eden was probably responsible for that. Augustus sighed to himself. It was all too easy to let himself believe that he'd been manipulated into such feeling for the girl.

"I doubt she will cause herself enough trouble, that she cannot figure her _own_ way out, sir," he said, fighting exhaustion and unease. He still felt the sting in his shoulder. She was stronger than she looked.

"That is not an answer to my question," Eden said, dryly. "I know we've mastered the art, Colonel. I would prefer your actual opinion to a tactical evaluation."

He coughed, and squared his feet on the metal floor. "I dislike this... inappropriate scheme. Now that she is gone, we can perhaps return to business at hand."

 _"Scheme."_ Eden laughed. "An appropriate word for what you deem inappropriate."

"I fail to see how setting the girl into dramatic action is _not_ inappropriate," he replied, grumpily.

"Ah..." That red light, burning into his eyes. Augustus fought the urge to show weakness. "You _will._ Give it time, Colonel."

He did not like that thought. That his was only a waiting game until Eden put another piece into play―he pushed the matter from his overtired mind. He would examine that at a later time.

"I value your opinion, Colonel. Without you, I would be without purpose." Augustus closed his eyes, blocking out the unblinking eye. "Without a person willing to do my bidding... well, you've seen the outcome of that action. It is not a concern of _mine_ whether you consider my actions inappropriate."

He wanted to laugh, again. The very same sentiment that he, himself, had regarding Lillie. Until his actions were shown to him to be immoral―he opened his eyes and felt the anger returning. "I suppose, then, that my purpose is to play Devil's advocate?"

"You are rather predictable in that regard," Eden replied. "So, in your honest and _predictable_ opinion, dear Colonel, _are_ you concerned for Lillie?"

"No," he said, and this time he was being honest. "She will manage. She was trained by the best, as you said yourself."

Eden was quiet for a moment. "That is good to know," it said. "Lillie undoubtedly understands why she is alone in the wastes. She will fill her shoes as best she can, and we will reap the reward. When the time comes, you will retrieve her. She _is_ valuable, still."

"Yes, sir," he said. Was there anything else, sir?" He shifted his weight off of his injured knee. He felt older than he ever had, before.

"I understand that you need respite," Eden said. "You may leave." A short pause. "Oh, there is one more issue."

"Yes, sir."

"It is my _private_ opinion that, if you intend to facilitate the release of the doctor, you must do so when I say."

Augustus didn't even react. He stared at the light, his eyes burning from lack of sleep. "Yes, sir."

"Sleep well, dear Colonel."

* * *

For the first week, he stayed away from VIOLA and focused himself on the armors. Put every available moment he had awake into keeping the disaster out of his mind. Eden took a personal interest in reminding him of the drama, at every available opportunity. The... experiment, or whatever it was, had not ended.

James seemed to have developed the same response and Eden was highly amused at the similarities, occasionally dropping a hint at the doctor's admitted ability to ignore the supercomputer's jabs. Augustus wished his ears were so easily shut.

He started feeling less homicidal toward the man. Pure strength of will was a hard value to disrespect. Something that he, himself, _sorely_ needed to develop better.

After the first week, one of the technicians approached him with a concern regarding Lillie's actions in the wastes. Eden said she would make her way to Vault 101, and Augustus knew she would. But she hadn't, and the technician reported an anomaly―

"She's moving over the same path, right now," the man said. "We've received visual data of the same three places, repeatedly. And..." he scratched his head and frowned. "Every time she stops somewhere, she rewrites something in the dirt, or on a wall. It's starting to make us... _uneasy,_ sir."

Augustus stared down at the man, blankly. "You mean she has been attempting to make contact." Lillie leaving a message was something he hadn't expected. What she was writing was probably some kind of code. Who she was attempting to contact, specifically, Augustus had _no_ doubt. "What is she writing?"

 _"Uhhh―"_ The technician looked confused. "It's―it's just too strange to explain. You'd have to see it." The man looked nervous, face flushed with sweat. "Honestly, sir, I would appreciate if you could look into it. It would make the 'orchestra' easier to handle."

Augustus narrowed his eyes at the man. "I will find the time, soldier," he said.

He never lied. He made the time, and watched the last recording. Watched the others, as well, and recognized some of the scenery. She was traveling in a rough half-circle around Vault 101, stopping every few hours to rewrite her messages.

She moved from a Super Duper Mart, to a baseball field outside of a ruined building, then to a small settlement with standing Pre-War houses in terrible shape. All the locations were free of threat, though the technician told him that they hadn't been when she first arrived.

Augustus marked her combat holotapes for later viewing. It would assuage his ego to know she was doing well, and keeping herself safe. And, perhaps, he could clear himself in James' eyes for having taught her such defensive capability.

In the Super Duper Mart, she'd written _"Death, thou shalt die"_ on a wall and sat down, staring at it. The time indicated she sat there with her eyes open, barely blinking, for over two hours.

At the baseball field, it was a bit difficult to make out the message scrawled into the dirt. _"Here is Freedom's chosen station"_ was made out, eventually.

In the settlement she scratched out _"ignis fatuus"_ on a wall.

Augustus made notes of these things, but didn't understand. Eventually she made her way from the Super Duper Mart toward another settlement, without writing any more messages. Augustus asked the technicians to keep an eye on the matter, in case she attempted any other contact.

Lord only _knew_ what she was trying to tell him.

* * *

"The phrases are from a variety of works _,_ Colonel," Eden said. It sounded as if it were entertained by the idea. "Poems. I had arranged for Lillie to be given a selection of classical works, you know. She took well to poetry."

Augustus sighed, shifting his weight as he stared at the wall in his quarters. There wasn't much he could have done but approach Eden; even James had no idea about the origin of the messages. Eden already knew she was sending messages, regardless of Augustus' desire to keep it hidden; Augustus didn't even know if what Lillie was saying was worth decoding.

It sounded nonsense. He couldn't quite grasp what she intended.

"She is affirming that she will not die, in the wastes, and that she is willing to complete her mission." Eden chuckled. "The last message is the most telling."

"What is that, sir?" Augustus looked over his thin handwriting, idly. Pretending he wasn't concerned. It was becoming harder for him to stay his feelings; Lillie acting in such an odd manner wasn't as concerning as what she might be planning. Whether she knew of the supercomputer's plot to get her into the Vault―or not―

He'd pushed it down for too long. It simply couldn't be stomped out. He _was_ worried for Lillie.

"An _ignis fatuus_ is a will-of-the-wisp," Eden said. "Something attractive and desirable, but ultimately deceptive."

Augustus frowned. "Odd," he muttered, looking up at the intercom. What she meant... he had no idea.

"I believe she is attempting to tout the Enclave," Eden said. "She is, naturally, referring to _herself._ An attractive thing, but deceiving of the people of the wastes."

Augustus pursed his mouth and shoved the paper into a pocket. "I see, sir."

"Do keep a close eye on our Lillie," Eden said. "She _will_ be at the objective soon."

"Yes, sir," Augustus said, and retired to bed.

He'd slept very little, without scotch to keep his mind from overthinking. It was a deliberate change he'd made, after Eden's insipid comment about self-medicating. His hands went over the paper again, staring at his handwriting and attempting to understand the words. After a time, since he couldn't allow himself to sleep, he left his room and made his way through the bunker to Lillie's room.

Half an hour later he was sitting at his desk, reading the poem that Lillie had been exposed to, and feeling very sick to his stomach. Eden had set her up to fall, just as it had set him up, by encouraging her to read poems and stories designed to torture her teenage mindset.

No _wonder_ she'd tried to kiss him. He smiled in relief at that. It was to be expected of her, at such an age, to... well, to fall in love, even to prepare for marriage. This push that Eden had made only compounded the matter.

Perhaps he _wasn't_ wrong to be concerned; she'd been manipulated just as much as he had. Eden would tell him to go and fetch her again. He would plan his actions for such inevitability. To rid himself and the Enclave of the supercomputer.

And maybe... maybe, he could finally relax and actually get to know the girl in the manner that the bastard thought he should.


	17. XVII - Of the Relocation

Note: Enclave to the core. I'm in a weird spot right now, trying to push through it. I promise this awkward crap will be done with soon. Let me get in my element

* * *

Lillie approached the town near Vault 101, keeping an eye out for danger. She'd dealt with a few things already; mostly radscorpions, but she had run into people of an undesirable nature. People who she'd put down when no other option presented itself.

 _Raiders._ Why bother working at it, when you could take what other people had. Lillie was disgusted with the idea, with the people who thought it was _okay_ to steal and kill. They were just another abomination in the wastes that needed to be destroyed. Danger that was unnecessary.

She'd killed them because they would have killed her, and because she'd seen no _reason_ to let them live.

Megaton, the town outside of the Vault, was a dreary place. Even in full sunlight―they were living around an undetonated _bomb!_ How could they _not_ be worried? How could they― _oh,_ and she'd met that Confessor standing in the water, deliberately exposing himself to the radiation. Really? He was _really_ allowing himself to _wallow_ in that nasty water, because he thought nuclear fission was something worthy of experiencing? She couldn't bear to listen to his preaching. It made her upset. So―so _horrible._

Now she understood why President Eden was so focused. It was their _duty_ as the Enclave to protect these people; to keep them from hurting themselves, from reveling in the horror that the world had become. They didn't know any better, and they needed the help. Some were pathetically _wishing_ for death.

Colonel Autumn... had never talked about the wastes. He'd never said much of anything except to berate her for being _useless._ Her face filled with blood. All of that... his _meanness..._ had been brought out by President Eden, for some reason. She hoped he understood her message―the words were meant to be seen in many ways. She hoped Colonel Autumn would understand when he spoke to President Eden to find out where the words were from, and that he would not believe what the President took away from them. She'd intended for him to see the words as her solemn promise to him, that she _would_ help him.

She also hoped... that he would forgive her for attacking him, if he'd truly ordered her arrest. Even if he _hadn't._ She covered her face for a long while, to hide that she was crying. She had to be careful. The people at Raven Rock were watching her every move.

She _would_ do this―whatever it was Eden wanted of her, and she would find out why they were being manipulated. Then she would return... and... she didn't know. What she _did_ know was that she couldn't be out here for very long. She had to get somewhere safer, and she knew there was one place she _could_ go―

 _Maybe._ If the option was still open to her. She needed information, first.

Lillie met the sheriff. Told her to mind her p's and q's and not start trouble. She could do that. He also mentioned about the bomb sitting in the middle of town, about how he wanted it dead. He promised her money, if she could. She could _really_ use the money.

God, she was starving. She'd scavenged some potato crisps the day before, but the radiation made her nervous. Her gear couldn't keep out all the rads, being ordinary combat armor, and she didn't have any Rad-X to keep herself safe. She _had_ to eat, though... and she needed to get some meds for the radiation damage she'd already taken.

The town looked a little _less_ dreary, for that. Lillie got directions from the sheriff and made her way to the saloon. If anyone were to know anything about the Vault, it would be a gossip mill such as a bar.

Moriarty's Saloon was where she met her first real-life ghoul―the first one who wasn't feral or stuck in a specimen tube, anyway. Right inside the door, she saw the peeling skin, the eyelids that no longer existed―her breath caught in her throat when he started talking.

Lillie's mouth thinned into a line, her hands clenched into fists. Never mind the whole― _abraded_ ―nature of his body―how could one continue to _exist_ after being made into a monster?! She glanced around the bar, identified the man in charge, and set herself onto him. The sooner she got herself out of this place, the _better._

"Colin Moriarty, at your service," the gray-haired man said, in an accented voice. "If you want a drink, talk to Gob. Need a room? Nova handles that." He gestured at the woman leaning against the wall, looking sour and tired.

"No, thank you," Lillie said, and tilted her head at the man. He carried himself like someone in charge, but there _was_ something else―something she could barely see. Something that told her he was interested in her being there, that he wanted to know more.

She could use that against him. She _knew_ she could.

"I need information. You know your business. Talk to me."

"Ach, I like you. Already in charge." Moriarty smiled slowly, and invited her to sit at the counter. "We can pow-wow. What do you need?"

Lillie sat down, keeping her hands off the counter top, and stared him down. "I need to know about the local Vault."

"Hang on now," Moriarty said. He put his elbow in his hand and the other grazed his beard. "You look familiar."

"I doubt that," Lillie said, sourly. She'd been a baby when she was last in the area―

"I got it." Moriarty pointed at her and smiled. "James' girl. I haven't seen you since you were a wee babe. You look just like your daddy." He leaned onto his hands, on the edge of the counter. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm looking for information, _not_ chit-chat," Lillie said, trying to be firm. "I need to know how to get into Vault 101."

"That's your game, is it?" Moriarty leaned back, giving her a more serious attitude. "Listen, lass, information is a _commodity._ You want to know, you have to pay."

Lillie sighed to herself. She didn't actually have the money. God _forbid_ any of these people actually be altruistic. "I'll have to get back to you," she said, pushing herself up from the stool. "I am, at the moment, out of caps."

Moriarty fixed her with a calculating look. "There are other ways to pay―" he started, and Lillie's fingers tightened against the peeling vinyl of the barstool. "You give me information, I'll give you what you want," he finished, his voice hard. "Unless you'd rather give up the caps. It'll be one hundred, mind."

"What in the world would I have to tell you?" she asked, her eyes narrowing at him. That―was a lot of money. She only grabbed a handful from the raiders. Should have taken their food, she could have found someone here to buy it. Lillie grumbled to herself. Could have _eaten_ it, too.

"You haven't been in that Vault all these years, now," Moriarty said. "I know James left the area. He didn't get in."

"No, I didn't grow up there." Lillie stared him down. Her brain logged the information and processed it, quickly. What he said didn't make sense. _What?_

"Didn't get in"? Why would her dad want to get _into_ the Vault? They were _from_ the Vault, weren't they? She needed time to _think_ about that―her head ached, from lack of sleep.

"Where did the both of you, end up?" Moriarty asked. "If you can give me something worth what you're asking―well, then I'll owe you."

She put the idea out of her mind for the moment. Needed every available cell to deal with this man, who she was steadily realizing she ought _not_ to have bothered with in her sleepless and starving state. Her stomach rumbled and reminded her, unnecessarily.

Should have gotten that food anyway. Wouldn't do for her to _starve_ to death out here.

"I only want to know how to get into that place," Lillie said, shaking off the fatigue unsuccessfully. "That is it. I don't have _any_ other information that you would consider useful."

"Maybe, maybe not." Moriarty looked her over. "Wherever you went..." He blinked at her, without emotion. "Maybe you know more than you're letting on, now."

 _"Whatever,"_ Lillie muttered, standing up and starting to walk away. She needed to leave. This wasn't going well.

"Don't be like that, now." Moriarty chuckled. "Tell you what, maybe you can help me with something."

She listened to what he was asking, and told him she would consider the option. He wanted her to shake down a local woman for some owed caps, and she didn't see that the action would be beneficial. Other than to get his information―but she didn't even know she _wanted_ that, anymore.

This Moriarty was a keen businessman, and he clearly knew how to skew a conversation to benefit himself more than he deserved. She scoffed before she removed herself from his presence, but was held up before she managed to get outside.

"You," the man in the corner was saying. "I think you and I could have a conversation. _Please,_ come sit."

Lillie rubbed her eyes and stared at the wall blankly. How _long_ had it been since she slept? Her stomach was aching with hunger, her head fuzzy, her hands shaking from the strain. She was in no shape to talk to _anyone,_ and she shouldn't have had that talk with Moriarty―

She slumped into the chair beside the man and closed her eyes, her head thrown back into the chair and body limp. "I'm sorry, sir," she mumbled. "I'm... not much _use_ right now."

"My, my." He leaned forward and cast an eye over the bar, then turned his head to her. "This place has sapped your energy so very quickly. My dear girl, I am very happy to make your acquaintance." He smiled. "I am Mister Burke."

"Mm-hmm," she said, feeling the sleepiness overtaking her.

"And you, well, you are not a resident of this putrescent cesspool. That makes you a rather _valuable_ individual."

Lillie opened her eyes and stared at the man, moving herself into a better position to watch him. "You don't sound like one of them," she said, without indicating who.

"I should hope _not._ I represent certain... interests." He adjusted his tie and brushed off his pants. "Interests that harbor no love for this place... this _blight_ on a burgeoning urban landscape."

Lillie watched him speaking. "I don't care for it, either," she said. "I haven't found _any_ place worth my time and energy, to be honest."

Burke chuckled. "It is rather depressing, is it not? But I have a feeling about you... You could assist my interests, in erasing this little accident off the map. The bomb for which this town is named, is still very much alive―"

Lillie closed her eyes, sighed out and leaned back in the chair. "I don't think that's something I would be interested in doing," she said, tiredly.

"Megaton means nothing to you!" Burke said. "You'll rig the bomb. Then you'll get paid. Handsomely. What do you say?"

"Doesn't _matter,"_ she muttered, swallowing. Her throat was really dry. Maybe... she ought to get a room in the bar and something to drink―but she didn't _want_ to sleep in this town, not with that bomb that could blow up at any second―

"Once rigged to the bomb, it will be detonated, by _you,_ at a secure location. Easy money, my friend."

And this man here, telling her he wanted the bomb to blow, too. She shook her head slowly. "No, thank you, Mister Burke. Much as I would rather this place not exist, it _does._ I can't honestly say I would kill everyone here, just for some money."

Burke stared at her for a moment, then narrowed his eyes. "You must think about this, my dear. If your physical state is an indication of your status... well, you don't seem the type to be satisfied with transiency. What I'm offering you is a place to exist as a stanchion, standing tall above the lowest bars."

Lillie stared back at him. "I _will_ think about it, Mister Burke. You have my promise. Just... let me... think."

"Good, good." Burke turned away and looked out into the bar, lighting a cigarette. "I get the feeling that you, much like myself, _enjoy_ when things go your way."

Lillie sighed, and let herself sink back into the chair. "I don't even know what my way _is,"_ she muttered, before sleep overtook her.


	18. XVIII - Of the Rogue

Note: Still working on it. Warning, language.

* * *

Another day, another half gallon of booze to keep him afloat. Today was no different than any _other_ day, including the weird little girl who wandered into the saloon. Jericho couldn't count how many people came in or out of the place. Or how _weird_ they were.

Really, he couldn't. By the time she'd shown up he was already drunk enough to be thinking all philosophical and shit, his face mashed into the counter top and becoming one with the surface. Thinking 'bout getting old and being so fucking tired of all this stupid shit, living in Megaton. Wishing he was back out _there,_ out in the wastes, with his rifle on the back of some dumb fuck's head and one hand in their pocket.

Moriarty wouldn't boot his ass out of the saloon, no matter how stupid he acted. In about half an hour, he would be conscious again and ordering another round. His money was just as good as anyone else's. Well... when he _bothered_ to pay.

He could afford it. He just liked to play that he couldn't. Liked annoying the shit out of the Irish fuck, watching the look on his face when he argued with him about his bar tab. Wasn't much else to do in the saloon but beg Nova like a dog, and hope she came around. _That..._ he groaned to himself, peeling his face from the counter. That wasn't gonna _happen._ Kept turning him down, no matter how pathetic he acted.

When he hit his second wind that night, the little girl was asleep in the corner and the suited asshole was gone, probably off to sit around his house and ignore everyone in town. Didn't know what the asshole wanted or why he was around, with him acting like he was better than everyone. Who the fuck _cared,_ anyway.

Whatever, _fuck_ him. Jericho poured himself off of the counter and moved to the asshole's chair. Hell of a lot more comfortable. Used to be _his_ chair, but that asshole was always there anymore when he got his ass up to the saloon―

Jericho rubbed his eyes and coughed up blood, and stared at the girl in the chair beside him. This idiot, falling asleep in Moriarty's Saloon... hah, she was gonna get a _rude_ wake-up. The Irish fuck didn't like her, anyway. He'd watched the little "pow-wow" Moriarty had with her. Neither one of them got what they'd wanted, and Moriarty never took well to people who didn't play his fucking _game._

Jericho coughed again, fished out some caps, and bought another whiskey before he sat down for good. Put his legs up on the table in between them and took a long drink, then toed the girl's face with his boot, watching her.

No reaction. He pushed the toe of his boot into her cheek and smeared something nasty onto her skin. She was fucking pale as shit, funny scars on the sides of her head. Had yellow hair, yellow almost like Jenny's jumpsuit. Jericho snorted to himself. _Fuckin' Jenny._ That was a whole bunch of shit he didn't need to remember when he was drunk. _Or_ sober.

The girl stirred, and Jericho moved his legs back, planting his boots on the floor. Took another drink and watched the girl waking up. Wondered what she'd say. Maybe he'd make her pasty ass cry. Heh, that'd be _great._

First thing she did was bolt upright, blinking furiously, then swept her eyes over to him. She looked at him like he was shit under her heels, for a moment. About what he expected for some broad wearing heavy-duty gear like her combat armor. Thought she was better than him. No wonder she was talking to the suited asshole.

Second thing she did was touch her face and gag a little, and wipe that shit off with her sleeve. She glanced back at the chair, and Jericho moved his eyes forward. Stared across the bar without looking at her.

"What the―what _is_ this," she muttered, scooting forward on the chair cushion.

"Probably Brahmin _shit,"_ he said, smirking.

"You―" she frowned. "Did _you_ put that on my face?"

Jericho grinned and kept looking at the wall. The girl huffed, stood up, and checked her pockets. After a moment she walked away from him, slamming the door of the saloon.

'Bout what she deserved. Moriarty would have probably had Gob toss her out on her ass, anyway. He went back to drinking, enjoying the chair for as long as he could.

* * *

Saw her again the next morning, having an excited conversation with Nathan. Of all the assholes 'round this shit heap she could latch onto. She seemed _way_ too into the old man. Probably liked the retarded little stories he could pull out of thin air. _Fuckin' morons._

Jericho wiped his nose and watched her jabbering on from outside of the saloon―hadn't gone to bed just yet, was still working on his whiskey from the night before. Was thinking about his little _idea_ too, about wanting to get back out in the wastes. Girl was gonna leave anyway... why _not?_ Having company, even if it was stupid company―

He grinned. Stupid little girls were the fucking _best_ kind of company.

New people were something to watch, though. This one, he didn't _think_ she was with the raiders―

Jericho thumbed the buckles on his jacket nervously. She better _not_ be. Goddamn sheriff was already up his ass about his bad behavior, never mind that he could shoot better than half the damn town. Didn't wanna have to kill the bitch and get himself shot.

He watched her wandering around town, and saw the look on her face every time she bought something. _Tough titties, little girl._ Followed her into the doctor's clinic at the end, and man she was fucking upset at the price of meds. Damn near threw a _fit_ at how much she had to shell out for her precious Rad-Away.

Not a chem junkie. That was good news for him. If she wasn't a user, she _definitely_ wasn't a raider.

He went back up to the saloon and waited outside of it, leaning on the wall. That information she wanted from Moriarty... she'd be back for it. He knew her type. _Na_ _ï_ _ve._ Wasn't trusting, that seemed fair, but naïve as shit and maybe a little _too_ new to the wastes. Maybe the little girl had come out of that Vault on the hill, or maybe she was just _stupid._ Couldn't tell, yet.

So he waited. She came back, alright. Jericho watched her, and when she was about to open the door he stopped her. Grabbed her wrist and held her firm.

"Hey," he said. "I gotta ask you _somethin'."_

The girl narrowed her eyes at him, and flicked her eyes to his wrist. Looked back up at him with her mouth set into a funny little pout. "What do you want," she asked, cautiously.

Jericho let her go. "You ain't with the raiders, are you?" he asked, crossing his arms and staring down at her.

"No," she said, lowering her arm and facing him. "I'm not." He believed her. She sounded so damn sincere, he would have believed _anything_ she said.

 _"Good."_ He looked out over the town for a moment, let the silence draw out between them. The girl didn't walk away, but stood there watching him. "That Irish fuck ain't gonna tell you what you want, you know," he said, staring at the town. Warning her as best he could.

"I do," she said, just as cautiously. "But I _have_ to try."

"Wanna get into that Vault," Jericho said, scratching his beard under his chin. "Fuck, think you'd be better off trying to defuse that damn _bomb."_ He motioned at the center of town.

"I might do that, too," she said. She moved to the side, away from the door, and planted herself in front of him. So he had to look at her. Fuck, she had _weird_ eyes. All shiny and shit. Jericho dropped his to her chest. _Heh, not bad._ He could get _used_ to that.

"What is your name?" she asked him, tilting her head slightly as she looked up at him.

"Jericho," he said. "Fuck do _you_ care?"

"I'm Lillie." She looked him up and down. "You smeared that stuff on my face yesterday."

"Call me an asshole if you _want,"_ he said, pushing himself off of the wall, "but you got what was comin'." He stared down at the yellow curls on her head, and moved closer to her. "Little girls shouldn't be so fuckin' _stupid,_ fallin' asleep in a bar."

She laughed. _Nice_ laugh. She wasn't looking down on him or nothing. Thought he was funny, like she _liked_ him. Jericho smiled at her, but his was always a dirty old man's smile. He _was_ a dirty old man.

"I'm not a little girl," she said, and pushed him backward by a step. Shit, she was stronger than she looked. _"Jericho."_ She looked him up and down again. "You know your way around this place?" she asked, curiously.

"I know what the fuck _I'm_ doin'," he said, glaring at her. "You know what _you're_ doin'?"

She smiled a little. "I'm talking to you," she said, simply. "You're... _interesting."_

"Fuck me," he muttered. "You one of them fuckin' _science-y_ types? All lab coats and beakers? ...Don't look like it, not in that get-up. Look like you're fuckin' _playin' pretend."_ He backhanded her chest, and she jerked backward reflexively. "Looks fuckin' stupid, _Lillie."_

"I wear armor for the same reason you do," she said, staring at him again. "You know how to get to that Vault?"

"Know how to get to lots of places," he said, sniffing. Fuckin' runny nose. Making him look like some kind of mouth-breather. He fought the urge to cough.

"Okay," she said. She curled her hand up near her chin and looked at his rifle on his shoulder. "Know how to handle yourself out there, too." She pointed at the rifle with her fingers together, looking curious. "No one gets the drop on _you,_ I bet."

"I'm the fuckin' _best,"_ he said, stepping forward and making up the distance between them. She didn't try to push him away, this time. She let him stand inside her personal space and stared at his face.

"Maybe you'd want to come with me?" she asked. "I could use an extra gun."

 _Fuckin' finally._ He knew it was only a matter of time. "Maybe," he said. _"Maybe._ You got caps? I don't work for free, little girl."

"I'll see what I can do," she said. She smiled at him and turned to the side, then stopped and looked back at him. _"Jericho,_ right?"

"I know you ain't that fuckin' dumb, don't play no _games_ with me," he snapped. _Stupid little bitch._ He'd have to mind her fucking attitude, if she actually did pay him.

Lillie smiled, and went into the saloon. Shit, she looked like a little kid, smiling all innocently and shit. Like she―shit, like she _did_ think he was interesting.

Maybe he was thinking wrong, wanting to get out of this shit heap, but she was a hell of a lot more exciting than sitting 'round this place and losing his head to booze every night. Shit, she was too young and dumb to last more than five fucking minutes out there, on her own. Wondered how she made it to Megaton, even, with that weird attitude of hers.

He shrugged and leaned against the wall, again. She'd be _back,_ though.

 _Goddamn naive bitches._


	19. XIX - Of the Realization

She visited with Moriarty again, after talking to the blackguard. When the barman wouldn't tell her what she wanted to know, Lillie resorted to her back-up plan. She was reluctant to do that, being inside of a settlement, but...

Moriarty wasn't playing fair. Why should _she?_

"I don't think you understand the idea here, lass," the man said, shaking his head. "You pay me, I give you what you want. It's not that hard."

They were standing in the back room, his office, him with his hands on his hips and her acting as nervous as she could. To put him off guard, and spring her ambush.

"I _get_ the idea," she muttered, watching him carefully. _Almost..._

"Oh, aye, and _I'm_ getting my name on a statue somewhere―" he started, his attention momentarily away from her as he looked up at the ceiling. An _"oh, Lord"_ look, and she capitalized on it.

Lillie immediately grabbed him by the back of his hair, slammed his face into the metal wall and held him there, producing a knife and jabbing him in the soft spot behind his ear. She angled the knife upward, pressing it into his skin just enough to draw a thin line of blood, her nails digging into his scalp.

His face was squished into the corrugated metal with a startled look. He recovered quickly enough, much to her dismay. Gave her a sharp glance and jammed his mouth shut. Realized he was in a bad position, and waited for his move.

"Do you _know..."_ she said, tilting her face to stare at him with a measured smile, "just how much pressure is needed to puncture through the skull bone, Mr. Moriarty?" His face contorted under the pressure, his gray eyes glittering on hers. "I do. It's really not that much."

 _"God Almighty―"_ he snapped, moving his hands out on the wall.

Lillie pushed the knife into his skin, through the surface, compressing the lymph node directly underneath it. "I want to know what you meant," she told him. "About my dad trying to get into the Vault. That's all. If you yell, I'll be forced to terminate this conversation. I don't think you _want_ me to do that."

 _"Shi―"_ He groaned as she wiggled the knife slowly. _"Shite!_ Alright!"

She smiled. He was effectively intimidated. That _was_ the idea. She waited a moment and let him sort himself out. Her grip didn't waver, but her eyes were blurred from a lack of sleep, and she needed to get this done and go find a safe place―

 _"Alright,_ lass, you win," he said, hands splayed out on the metal. "I'll tell you."

Lillie didn't move her hands away. "Let's hear it."

"Smart, aye, I _knew_ I liked you." Moriarty cleared his throat. "Your Da came through about eighteen years ago, yeah? Had a wee babe with. Was from the East, heading west, said he'd been out at the tidal basin for a while. We had a drink to your long and happy life inside the Vault and he went off to get inside."

Lillie blinked back the wavering vision and clenched her teeth a little. "And _then?"_

"Ah, but he didn't get inside, _did_ he? Went off northwest, according to what I heard." Moriarty grunted again, pressing his lips together.

 _"Northwest."_ Lillie spun the knife in a half-circle. "What's in the northwest?"

Moriarty grunted, tapping the wall with his fingers. "That wasn't part of the deal, lass," he strained out. "Fair's _fair."_

"You're right," she said, but kept her hands on him still.

"I'll give you that one for free, providin' you let me go, now." His eyes were still on her face, but now they were shining something other than anger back on her. "Not playin'."

"If you pull that pistol of yours on me," Lillie said, moving herself closer so she was breathing in his ear, "I'll have you know, I know which tendons stop you from _ever_ making a fist."

"Think I like you too much to shoot you." Moriarty smiled in a contorted way. "I believe it. Be _nice,_ lass?"

She moved her hands back at the same time, watching as he pried himself from the metal and brushed off his clothes. He chuckled, then stared at her for a moment with a funny look on his face. "...Northwest is Paradise Falls, and Arefu," he said. "Maybe some of those satellite stations out there might be worth looking into, but I've no idea where dear old dad was taking you."

Lillie stayed tense, waiting for him to break his word. "So we were never there," she muttered, feeling tears prickling at her eyes. She―

Oh, _God,_ this changed... _everything!_

Why didn't her father _tell_ her!? Why― _Why_ did he let President Eden assume she was from the Vault? He'd _lied!_ Just like _Colonel Aut_ ―she felt something breaking inside of her. She couldn't, anymore. Just _couldn't._

Yet _another_ lie. Lillie was done with the lies. _Done._ She raised her hand to her face, holding the knife up to her eyes, and sniffled, then gasped out a sob. It wasn't _fair._ No one ever― _ever!_ Told her the _truth._

"Ach, lass, that's a bad tack," Moriarty said, moving closer to her.

Lillie held her hand out and brandished the knife at him, half-heartedly, trying to stem the tears. "Don't," she said, as firmly as she could. _"Just―"_ God, she was gonna get herself in trouble, if she didn't mind him.

"I appreciate a killer with a heart," Moriarty said. "You're a touch upset because the old man lied to you. We've all been lied to. It's _life,_ lass."

 _"Everyone_ lies," she said, wiping her nose with her free hand and blinking furiously.

"Hurts worst when it comes from a loved one," he said, smiling with half his mouth at her. "Never cared much for my own old man, either. Feckless bastard that he was, he knew how to lie well."

Lillie sniffled again, and breathed out a little easier. "I―" she looked down and frowned. "I don't understand it," she whispered. "Doesn't make _sense."_

"No, it doesn't," he agreed, moving closer.

She... she was so _tired._ Everything in the wasteland was so draining, and now... _this_ on top of that? Would it _ever_ stop hurting, even for a moment?

Lillie closed her eyes just for a second and realized her mistake when a hand wrapped around hers, painfully disarming her and shoving her up against the wall in a reversal of what had happened.

"Right as I thought you were one of the _smart_ ones," Moriarty said, his hand on her head and her knife in his hand. He put it up to her throat and sighed. "I _hate_ being surprised."

Lillie didn't move for a moment. "I won't disappoint you, then," she said, and shortly he jerked backward in surprise as she produced another knife, this one hidden on her person for emergencies. She jabbed at his crotch as he moved away and spun on him, hitting him with the palm of her other hand and knocking him backward. The second combat knife came up and out, swiping at him but not connecting.

"Lord!" he yelled, stumbling backward. _"Wily,_ love!"

"I didn't want to _kill you,_ but you're making it hard _not_ to!" Lillie snapped. She knew what she was doing, even if she was half-dead to the world for lack of sleep! _I haven't spent the last five years training for this―just to get taken in!_

"Alright, _alright,_ I give!" he said, laughing under his breath. He spun the knife around and held it out to her, one hand up in the air and bowing slightly. "You _win,_ love!"

She took the knife back, carefully watching him. Once she was sure he wasn't pulling another trick, she put both knives away and brought out her sack of caps. "Fine," she said, handing him the sack. "We're _even,_ then."

Moriarty's eyebrows shot up. "You had the money," he said, and a grin came over his face. "Christ, you're as sly as _I."_

"I know a _few_ tricks," she said, dropping the sack into his palm.

"I can respect that," Moriarty said, patting her shoulder and grinning. It fell away as he sighed. "Why I find the _fun_ ones when I'm too old for them, I'll _never_ know. Look, love―"

"Lillie," she said, watching him. "My name is Lillie."

"Pretty. Little flower, all _grown up."_ He put the sack onto the top of the nearby monitor and turned back to her. "Your Da did you wrong, I know. Wherever you went, it was _good._ Don't let this give you hell. Enough of that in the world _already."_

"I won't." Lillie sighed. "Thank you for an entertaining moment, Mr. Moriarty."

"Many welcomes," he replied, smiling broadly. "If you ever need more, you know where I am."

"I do." She turned to leave, then paused and curled a hand up at her chest. "Oh, I did have another question."

"Wearing out your welcome, already?" Moriarty crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his chin down. "What's it now, love?"

"The blackguard―" she paused and smiled. _"Jericho._ How much money would I need to hire him?"

"Usually goes for a number with three zeroes." He stared at her for a brief moment, setting his jaw firmly. "Not worth it, little flower. The man's a blubbering old drunkard."

"I knew that much," she said, to herself. She didn't have _any_ money, now. How she was going to manage to hire a gun without a cap to her name―

Well, she didn't need him. She _wanted_ him. Because he could take bullets for her. And because he _was_ interesting, and he'd followed her around all day. She was curious as to why a man who didn't seem to like her much would want to follow her around... and why he was so _worried_ about the raiders.

"Where could I get that kind of money," she wondered, aloud.

"You're _set_ on taking him with you?" Lillie nodded. Moriarty pressed his mouth together and "hemmed" a little.

"I need a shield," she explained, quickly. "I have the sword."

Moriarty nodded, then. "Aye, I understand." He rubbed his chin. "Might could pull a _favor_ or two," he mused.

"Or I could 'talk' him into it," she said, pursing her lips. She didn't quite understand _why_ the man wanted to help her―after she'd done all _that,_ he was acting like she was a close friend. _Like he..._ Lillie blinked and tried to focus. It felt _weird,_ whatever it was.

The barman laughed, throwing his head back. "Lord, your enthusiasm!" he said, shaking his shoulders. "But, ah, that one is a touch more dangerous than some old Irish barman with no _heart_ for hurting little flowers."

"So no knives under the ears," she stated, shrugging. "I do have _other_ tricks."

"Christ, you're _killing_ me here," Moriarty chuckled, shaking his head. His face twitched up into a grin. "Bravado will only get you _killed,_ love."

Lillie simply stood there and stared at him. After a minute of staring back at her, examining her face, Moriarty nodded. "I'll see what I've got up my sleeve, first." He looked back at his terminal for a brief moment. "No need to stir up the dust, if we wet it down."

She felt her cheeks prickling with blood, for some reason. "I don't want _charity,_ Mr. Moriarty―"

"Of course not," Moriarty said, lifting an arm and putting it on her shoulder. "It's a favor for a friend. You know what that means, _aye?"_

Lillie blinked and narrowed her eyes at him, shaking off his hand. "I get the idea," she said, and he moved backward quickly. She would have laughed―what started the whole thing―but she was too tired.

"Mr. Moriarty, may I please borrow a bed," she mumbled, rubbing her face. "I haven't had proper sleep in almost two days."

He smiled, and patted her on the back, and sent her up to the second floor without any pomp. Lillie wasn't exactly sure _what_ had happened, but she was really too tired to think about it―

And she had _more_ than some _strange_ social interaction to worry about.


	20. XX - Of the Reason

Note: ugh, still feel sick to my stomach. Sorry about any delays, life sucks right now

minor edits. mostly inaccurate wording

* * *

"Any news about Lillie?"

Augustus stepped into the prison laboratory and hit the door locks before answering, yawning slightly. It hadn't been his idea to come and see the doctor; President Eden required some input or other, if it continued prompting him to visit. He'd rather have been following up with his men, regarding new developments, but arguing with the supercomputer would delay that.

Some horseshit about the modified deathclaws. It hadn't been going very well; the program's mortality rate for both researchers and test subjects continued to rise. He didn't know what they'd expected, when dealing with the damn things. Anything wild with that descriptive colloquial name _should_ be given respect.

Another one of Eden's mad science projects. It was all he could do to hope he wasn't still a test subject, _himself._

"...Lillie made her way to Megaton," Augustus said, turning and running a hand under his collar. "She's spent time reconnoitering the area, gaining knowledge."

James stared at him for a brief moment, then turned his head away. "Did she go to the Vault, yet?" he asked, in a manner that indicated he'd been looking for that answer all along.

"No," Augustus said. "And, in fact, if she does not make her way to the Vault, _soon,_ she will be treading some very dangerous water." He sighed and ran a hand over his temple. The spike of pain caused by even thinking about her―he wished he were not so vested. "She has proven her adequate worth in combat, but President Eden is growing... impatient."

James turned back to his microscope and shook his head. "Colonel," he said, "I'll thank you to leave me to my work."

"Would that I could," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "But I've been ordered to check on your welfare, and as much as I enjoy your... _enthralling_ conversation, I am required to remain here until I have adequately done so."

"My welfare," James said, spitefully. "Other than my being alive, and providing consistent data, I doubt Eden would _care_ about how I am faring."

"Apparently there has been some concern regarding your behavior," Augustus said, turning himself to the side and walking across the room. He placed himself in front of the intercom light and faced the man.

"My behavior has been model, Colonel," James replied, adjusting the setting on the microscope.

"Exactly," Augustus said. "You _do_ realize President Eden can plan for multiple outcomes, simultaneously?"

"I am aware of what it is capable of," James said, looking into the lens. "I really don't care what Eden thinks of my particular good behavior. _Or_ what you think, Colonel."

"Whatever front you are putting on―" Augustus stifled a yawn. "It will not succeed, Doctor."

"I am not putting on a front," James answered, his voice irritatingly calm. "I have accepted the inevitable."

"Good God, _man,_ are you seriously attached to this ideal?" Augustus sighed, rubbed his forehead, and put his elbow in his hand. "This is why I had to take time out of my _already_ busy schedule to see you."

"If you have concerns, then act on them." The doctor peered into the microscope, jotting down a few words onto a piece of paper. "Otherwise, leave me to my work."

"One of the reasons I asked for your _termination."_ Augustus moved his gloved fingers along his head to his temple, rubbing it lightly. "Your marked determination to provide absolutely _no_ information of note while remaining obstinate. Idealism only gets one so far―"

"I've no time for your florid insults," James said, glancing at him. "Every moment you spend here is a moment better _used."_

The pain in his temple had increased to a breaking point, putting him into a weakened state. Without―Augustus sighed. Honestly, without _Lillie_ around, he felt the heaviness of the supercomputer's manipulation. Understood how much he'd been handled, prior to James and Lillie arriving, even. Before that, he had willingly followed the suggestions because he had not believed the computer was aiming his people into disaster.

Every new development was suspect, now. The other elements had come to light, and even a small deviation from previous behavior was something that could have been provoked by the ZAX bastard . Deviations such as James' suddenly perfect behavior.

He stared at the doctor. Didn't quite understand what _purpose_ this perfection would prove. But with the migraine rocketing around his head, he couldn't make a proper conclusion.

"If you have a headache, Colonel, you ought to move somewhere less lighted." James was watching him move his hand on his temple, in constant motion.

"It's a migraine," Augustus said, dismissing the thought. "Nothing to be done."

James stared at him for a moment. A slow half-smile came over his face, and he turned away, pulling open a cabinet. "I didn't realize," he said, pulling out a first-aid kit and sorting through the contents, "that teenagers could cause people _other_ than their parents, pain."

Augustus breathed out through his nose and closed his eyes. He had not slept much. That was why he had the migraine; his overactive and overtired mind provided him punishment. "It is not your concern how I _am,_ Doctor," he said, opening his eyes and staring at James.

James was measuring out something into a syringe, eyeing it with a calculating glance. "You may think so," he said, turning and leaning onto the edge of the counter. "But we both understand that being at one's peak condition is preferable to confusion."

Augustus couldn't argue that, pathetically enough. James approached him with the syringe, holding it toward himself, and directed Augustus to a chair. "What are you planning, now?" the Colonel asked, shooting him a hard glance.

"No plan," James said, preparing a site on his arm for injection. "You've been having migraines for years, Colonel. If you _hadn't,_ maybe your efforts would be more successful." He held up the syringe and looked down at him with an amused face. "I'm merely doing my part for the Enclave."

"This is exactly what―" Augustus turned his head as the needle went into his arm. "What I meant about ideals."

"Where do you suppose I _fit,_ in this transtheoretical model?" James asked, removing the syringe and applying a piece of gauze to the site.

"Action," he replied. "You've had plenty of time for contemplation."

"Astute," James said, nodding. "...If you get another migraine, you should return here."

Augustus sighed, imperceptibly, and returned his coat to its proper state. "We will see." The pain had already begun to lessen, but he felt sleep beginning a slow shade over him. "I've already trusted you enough that you won't kill me in some professional manner. It is a _stretch_ to allow you lull my sympathy into a deception."

"Now, now, Colonel," James said, moving away and returning the first aid box to its station. "I have no reason to kill you. You're the only person in the world who tells me the truth about Lillie."

Augustus stood and ran a hand along the inside of his collar, turning his head to the man. Tired though he was, the injection had rapidly removed all of his pain. He felt much more sharpened.

"I suppose I ought to thank you," Augustus said. "But I'd rather not be known for my _delightful_ manner."

James laughed, put his eye back to the microscope. "Colonel, if you knew half of what I do, in this moment, you would outright murder me."

"I'd certainly _like_ to."

James laughed again. The banter between them was not by any means friendly, but rather... an understanding. A cautious truce in the name of a greater goal, namely the liberation of James and his daughter. And the liberation of the Enclave from the thumb of the supercomputer performing mad plots against them.

"Action is only a precursor to relapse," James said, pointedly. He smiled under the microscope. "We will all be back to our established behaviors, soon enough."

Augustus nodded to himself. He had thought of the possibility, that the change was brought on by a sudden disruption and would not be supported. "I'll report your behavior as expected," he said, giving the man that much respect.

"Thank you, Colonel."

"Good day, James."

* * *

Augustus had returned to his quarters and sat down to review reports, his migraine gone but not forgotten. After a long day, and having no pressure in his temple, he was sufficiently able to prepare himself against all attack.

But, of course, he _couldn't_ out-think Eden. He was sitting at his desk, shuffling between two incident reports and attempting to understand why the handler of the modified deathclaws was killed, when a voice surprised him into startled motion.

Eden was torturing him, for sure. Played back a recording of Lillie in the training room, stopping it abruptly after―

"When a commanding officer speaks, you _must respond!"_

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and composed himself. "Sir?" he asked, keeping his voice calm. Playing back to him that awful day when he'd _fully_ understood his failure―

"I rather miss Lillie," Eden said, slowly. "I haven't anyone to say the Pledge with me. And you haven't told me good morning in over twelve years, Colonel."

True enough, though Augustus had been mostly ignored for the first six years as Eden pursued other friendships. Such as Dr. Isben, or the woman running behavioral models down in the computer labs. "Was there something you needed, sir?" Augustus asked, flipping a paper up.

"Of course," it said. "Lillie has not been as efficient as I prefer, in her completion of the mission. In fact..." a momentary pause. "She's been unconscious for the last twelve hours. I find that slightly _alarming."_

Augustus blinked, unable to form any thought.

It _was_ alarming. Given that the summary reports from the orchestra had indicated that Lillie wasn't sleeping much, and had been exhibiting signs of low glucose from her apparent dislike of eating food from the wastes, it meant she might have gone into a _coma,_ or―

Or _worse,_ that she was dead and VIOLA was still filming. Augustus' hands shook slightly. _No,_ he―she _wasn't_ dead, he didn't think that was a possibility. It... it didn't bother him that she _might_ be, either.

He told himself that even though his heart hit his rib cage with a pulpous thump and his mouth had gone dry.

"Regardless of why she has not opened her eyes for half the day―" the damn thing _knew_ how he felt, and there wasn't a single thing Augustus could do about it "―Lillie is not performing as expected. I knew we should have included radiation acclimation in the training," Eden said, regretfully.

"Deliberately exposing her to radiation would have delayed your plans, sir," Augustus said, lowering his hand from his chest to the papers. "And unnecessarily shortened her lifespan. That _is_ why you ultimately vetoed radiation training."

"Yes, _pity,_ that." Eden sighed. "Hindsight is twenty-twenty. Colonel, I want you to arrange an escort for the good Doctor to Megaton. Deliver him as quickly and as quietly as possible into the area. He _will_ find Lillie and compel her."

Augustus closed his eyes. James would compel Lillie into the Vault as a means to escape from the Enclave. She would be trapped by her father―inside the Vault, _forever._ He frowned. The Vault would certainly have the necessary equipment needed to remove VIOLA from her orbital cavities. Why would James not desire protection and safety?

"Is that _wise,_ sir?" he asked, after a moment.

"I love the little silences as you come to realize what I've already known," Eden jabbed. Augustus' jaw clenched in anger. "I have done nothing _but_ plan for this, Colonel. I realize that we may lose the VIOLA feed. _Other_ preparation was made for that occurrence."

That bade something horrid, something so awful Augustus didn't want to _imagine_ what it could be.

"I will draw up an itinerary," he muttered, staring blankly at the paper in front of him.

"Good man. Make sure that our Doctor arrives as soon as _possible,_ Colonel." The light on the wall faded.

There was nothing he could do. Eden had planned for contingencies that even he, himself, could not. Lillie was not safer in the wasteland. She had been safer in Raven Rock, and now she was without―without _his,_ or her _father's_ protection, or even a hand that was comforting to hold.

His heart flopped painfully, at the thought. Eden's devious plotting had been successful, if he was feeling such _awkwardness_ toward the girl. If he had been allowed to have a proper relationship with her... he didn't know that he would be feeling quite the same.

Augustus picked up one of Lillie's holotapes and inserted it into the terminal. If James was set into motion, and located her―

He would leave with the man a message that only _Lillie_ could interpret.


	21. XXI - Of the Incipiency

_Note: Edited for content, minor. Mostly swears. Mostly._

* * *

 **Part Two**

 _Weep, daughter of a royal line,_  
 _A Sire's disgrace, a realm's decay;_  
 _Ah! happy if each tear of thine_  
 _Could wash a father's fault away!_  
"Lines to a Lady Weeping" by Lord George Gordon Byron

* * *

"Don't know why I fuckin' _bother,"_ Jericho muttered, his eyes open but not seeing. He was drooling onto the bar, staring up at the ghoul and wondering why he tried to do anything other than stay _alive._

Cheek to the counter again, minding himself, with one hand on the bottle of whiskey and the other somewhere―shit, _he_ didn't _know._ He snorted and wiggled his fingers. _Oh, yeah,_ that's where it was. He laughed a little. Wouldn't be the _first_ time he'd passed out in a pile of drool with his hand on his dick.

Maybe he should start _using_ again. Little bit of psycho went a long way to keep him awake. Too bad there wasn't anyone to keep him company. _Fuckin' Jenny._ ...Huh, he'd _like_ to.

Felt his eyes closing to the world, and didn't fight it. Another night, another _half-gallon..._ he snorted out a wad of snot and passed out.

Next thing he knew, someone had a hand on his collar and was picking him up from the bar. Jericho grunted, threw an arm out, and slapped whoever was touching him. _"Ge'off, fucker!"_ he slurred out, his hand connecting with whoever it was.

"Hoooh, shhhhuuuu," the ghoul mumbled, and Jericho blinked. Whoever it was hadn't let go, but held on tighter, shaking him roughly. He slapped out again, catching the arm of the person. The world was swimming and every sound distorted, but one thing rang out in his mind.

"Wakey, wakey," Moriarty was saying. "We're gonna have us a little _talk."_

"Whu," Jericho groaned. _"Ge'off!"_

"You haven't paid your tab in over five days, Jericho," the Irish fuck was telling him. "We're gonna discuss your... _lack of caps."_

"Oh, _fer Chriiisss,"_ he moaned, as he passed out again.

* * *

He woke up abruptly, face down in the dirt outside Moriarty's back door, when a bucket of water was suddenly upended onto his head. Jerked awake and went for his knife, rolling onto his back and lifting his knees up, elbows inward to cover his head.

Moriarty dropped the bucket to the side and stared down at him with a hand on his hip, squinting at him in the darkness. "I get that you _need_ your beauty sleep," he said, chuckling. "God forbid we have a conversation unaided by your perpetual lushness, though."

 _"What the fuck!"_ Jericho yelled, lowering his arms. Fucking tired and half-drunk still.

"Wake up, _cocksucker,_ we're _talking_ here!" Moriarty yelled, leaning down to get closer.

Covered in irradiated water and dusty mud, he stared up at the Irish fuck. Didn't get what the man was up to now. The Irish fuck played all kinds of games, _hard_ ones to win, and he'd never yet. Meeting him behind the bar wasn't an old trick, which meant this was a _new_ game―

 _Fuck,_ and he'd just learned the rules of the _old_ one!

"I got a job for you," Moriarty said, sounding as pleasant as he always did. "Need you to do something for me."

The fuck did the bastard think he was doing, treating him like some kind of dog? "No fuckin' thanks," Jericho groaned, turning onto to his side. "I'll _pay_ my bill, _alright?!"_

He wasn't no goddamn _dog,_ fetching shit for the Irish fuck. Fucking _tired_ of it. Little tastes of the wastes reminding him what he could've had, if he'd just stayed _out_ _there_ ―little bits of violence that didn't make him feel any better than the drinking did.

Maybe getting old made him nostalgic, or maybe it just made him _stupid._ He'd given up on the weird little girl coming back after she never showed up outside of the saloon. _Musta ducked out the fuckin' back to get away._

 _Fuckin' figures._ Found a real weird one what'd probably put up with him and she was just playing. _Goddamn naive bitches._

"Now, now, you should hear me out." Moriarty waited for him to get himself up off of the ground, and stared him down.

"Hear _you_ out? I don't _think_ so." Jericho spat onto the ground. "Last time, your cocksucking zombie jammed a fuckin' _ladle_ in my ear!"

Moriarty looked thoughtful. "Aye, and you paid your tab right quick, _didna?"_ He smiled in that trademarked Irish fuck way. Jericho looked away, coughing a little, trying to breathe through his nose. _Fuckin' mud―_

"This one's a wee bit _different,_ mind," Moriarty went on. "Little flower wants some peace of mind."

 _"Wh―"_ he grunted, pushing himself up, and cracked his neck. Mud splattered over his face and up his goddamn nose... he coughed and put a thumb to one side of his nose, blowing snot and dirt everywhere. "That fuckin' _stupid_ little girl?"

"Aye, that's the one," Moriarty said, staring him down. "She's looking to hire you."

Jericho blew out the other side of his nose and turned with a wobble to the man. "She told me that, so what?"

"So I want you to go with her," Moriarty said, his eyes cold on Jericho's. "Little flower's got something going, something she's not letting on. You keep an _eye_ on her, keep her _alive,_ and when you find out what she's up to, you tell _me."_

"Told that bitch I needed paid," Jericho said, rubbing the underside of his chin. _"You_ gonna pay?"

"You'll get paid, alright," Moriarty said, dismissively. "You clear on this? No bullshit promises, _now."_

"Yeah, I'm _clear,"_ he muttered, blinking dust from his eyes.

"Good." Moriarty turned to walk away, leaving him out in the dark and sopping wet. "Ach, one _more_ thing," he said, turning back quickly.

Jericho sniffed and stared at him, wearily. "What?" he snapped.

"You put your hands on this one," Moriarty said, seriously, "and you'll have as much chance as a wax cat in hell of surviving it." He nodded to Jericho and opened the back door, slamming it behind him.

Jericho shook off sleep and patted his pockets, finding his smokes and lighting one up as he walked down the crater toward his house. Went the long way 'round, to think about some things.

Something she's not letting on... yeah, _he_ got that feeling, too. Something important like, that she wasn't about to share with the hicks in some random wasteland town. Moriarty would want that info, _damn_ sure of it. Could be something worth _real_ money, like―

Jericho spat into the water where the Confessor always stood, watching the water ripple. _He_ couldn't think what. Lots of weird shit happened out in the wastes, most of it beyond his level of thought.

Shit, and he'd _just_ given up on the stupid girl, too. He stretched out his arms, tossing his lit cigarette onto the roof of the Brass Lantern to join the hundreds more he'd flicked there. _Well, fuck._ Whatever was going on, he'd figure it out.

Best to go sleep off the rest of the booze, so he could listen better. Jericho ambled to his house, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

Morning found him waiting up by the saloon again, wondering what the hell was going on. Went looking 'round town for the little bitch, and she was nowhere to be found. Last option was to ask the Irish fuck if _he_ knew.

He didn't have the goddamn _patience_ for that one. Jericho smoked and watched people running around town for a little while. Thinking about getting outside... he snorted, smoke billowing around his face. Made him actually kind of miss the place, already.

After another half hour or so, he went inside. As dead as a limping dog. Gob was messing with the radio again, and Nova glared at Jericho as he moved to a stool, knocking on the bar. "Hey, zombie," he said. _"C'mere."_

Gob made a face―like you could _tell_ with half the shit gone―and moved over. "What do you want?" he asked, carefully neutral.

"Where the fuck's the little girl?" he asked, curling up his lip at the ghoul.

 _"What?"_ Gob frowned. "The―the one from the other night?"

"Yeah, that one." Jericho slapped his hand down. "She asked me to go with her, and I ain't see her in two fuckin' days."

"Sleeping, still," Nova said, sliding onto a stool beside him. She put her elbow down and her face in her chin. "Moriarty put her to bed, and she hasn't woke up yet."

"What? _Put her to bed?"_ Gob said, looking up at the second floor. "The hell?"

"What the fuck," Jericho muttered. "Put her to bed"― _protectin' his investment, more like._ If she was hiding something that important, that Moriarty would be giving her a _free_ room―

Jericho suddenly felt uneasy. Maybe he ought to have fought it a little harder. Moriarty―he could argue with the man until he couldn't breathe, and the man would always have his way. But, _hell,_ he coulda had his say at least. Coulda put in a few more words.

"Girl was half-asleep when she came in," Nova said. Jericho's jawed worked as he watched the whore blow a smoke ring. Wished he had the time and money... he kicked his own ass, doing _that_ shit. No woman was worth paying money for, when he could get it free. All he needed was _one more chance._

"No one got paid, neither. Something strange going on with that one." Nova blew smoke into Jericho's face. "Why are you so hot on the little one, Jericho? Get a taste for something _fresher?"_

"You'd better believe it," Jericho muttered, pushing himself up and moving toward the stairs. "Which room?"

Nova directed him to the one on the far end. Jericho entered the room, closed the door, and stared down at the little girl. She was sleeping like some idiot kid, curled in on herself and facing the door.

Why the fuck he had to keep waking the bitch up―like she was some kind of fucking _Sleeping_ _Beauty_ ―he rolled his eyes and moved over to the bed, putting a foot up onto the edge, and leaned down.

"Hey, time to _get up!"_ he yelled, shaking her shoulder.

She stirred, turning her head. Them scars on her head... Jericho squinted down at her. Like someone took a _chunk_ outta her, or something. He leaned an elbow onto his raised knee, and poked her hard on the scars.

Shit, she moved _fast!_ A hand whipped around, pulling his hand down. She was up and applying an elbow to the back of his neck in a second, knocking him down onto the floor and taking his foot off of the bed with a sweep of her arm. His entire body made contact with the floor all at once, and the metal shuddered from the impact―

"Oh," she said, sleepily. "The blackguard."

 _"Jesus Christ!"_ he yelled, pushing himself up. _"What in the fuck!"_

"You should know better than to wake someone up like that," she said, putting her legs onto the edge of the mattress. "I could've shot you."

 _"Fuck,"_ he hissed, rubbing his nose and pulling away blood. "What the _fuck?!"_

Lillie stared at him for a moment, her face impassive, then she pulled out her pistol and held it on him. "Maybe I _ought_ to shoot you," she said, frowning. "I don't think it's right for a man to be in a woman's room without permission."

Jericho backed up a step, frowning and wiping his face messily. _"Shit,"_ he said, after a moment of staring at her. He ran the back of his hand along his chin, smearing blood everywhere. "Like I give a shit, _whatever._ Go on, then."

Lillie lowered her pistol and stared at him. Then she smiled. The one from before, like she really _did_ like him. _Shit,_ he was in trouble, he was gonna get himself killed for this stupid little bitch―no one just _smiled_ at him like that _without_ him getting in trouble―

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, today?" she asked, putting the pistol away.

"Said you needed an extra gun," Jericho said, flicking blood onto the floor. Fucking nosebleeds, never wanting to stop.

"Oh," she said, and her face lit up. "Oh, _good!"_

Yeah... _yeah,_ he was in trouble with this one. Watching Lillie climb out of the bed, seeing how skinny she actually was, realizing she was a lot quicker and stronger than she seemed...

Fuck him, he was _definitely_ gonna get himself killed.


	22. XXII - Of the Idealist

Note: Been under a lot of stress, and busyness. Working on it

* * *

"We're placing down here, sir," a soldier called, over the loud noise of the Vertibird. "Ground troops will deploy first, sweep the area. Colonel?"

James watched the Colonel nod, stiffly, his hand wound around a strap and standing inside the Vertibird. He turned his attention onto James for a brief moment, shoving his hand into a pocket before resuming his gaze over the wasteland. James followed his line of sight, saw the town in the distance. His chest constricted with emotion and panic.

So close to _freedom._ He was almost certain that Autumn was going to yank the rug out from under his feet as soon as they hit the ground. It was _too_ good to be true―even if his presence in the area was allowed only to guarantee the success of the Enclave mission.

 _Lillie's_ mission. He sighed to himself.

She was suspected to have become ill, in the wastes. Autumn explained she had not eaten much, and that she had been known to be unconscious for an extended period of time. James knew all too well what sickness brought one, out here. If he could not find her, then she would be at the mercy of whoever found her first―

Thankfully she was in Megaton, so he could guess that the Children of Atom would take over her case. But he did not like that she was alone, possibly sick, and without _anyone_ she might have ever known. That list was so _small_ to begin with...

Regardless of what happened, he needed to maintain his cool exterior. Once he was away from the Enclave, he could freely worry. For now, he must remember that he was still _technically_ imprisoned.

The Vertibird approached a Metro area, circling the area before setting down in a parking lot just outside of the station entrance. Soldiers in power armor stepped out and moved over the ground quickly, their sweep punctuated by the sounds of gunfire and the particular sound of plasma weaponry.

Autumn gestured for him to get out of the Vertibird once the soldiers had returned. "This is as close as we can get while maintaining low profile," Autumn said, raising his voice to carry over the sound of rotors and chopped air. "You _do_ understand, there is to be no information unnecessarily spread about?"

James nodded, clutching at the sack of medical supplies he'd been given. "Yes, Colonel," he said, confirming aloud.

"And you _will_ find Lillie, and get her into that Vault?"

James repeated himself, wondering at the Colonel's strange manner. Autumn stared at him for a moment before nodding. "I recommend that you scout the immediate area for resources prior to heading east," Autumn said. "And... _James?"_

He watched the Colonel, cautiously. Autumn held out a hand, offering him up a pistol. "To ensure you reach your destination," he said.

It was more than James had expected. "Thank you, Colonel."

"I also..." the man hesitated, his hand moving to his side. "I need you to deliver a message." Autumn grabbed up his hand and pressed a piece of paper into it, surprising him. Shook his hand firmly, nodded to him, and released him abruptly. James moved the paper into his pocket and looked out over the wastes.

 _"Move out!"_ Autumn barked, and James strode away from the Vertibird. He took refuge under the Metro entrance awning, until he could no longer hear the sound of the transport.

Once they were away, he pulled the paper from his pocket and looked at it, frowning. He understood that he was being asked to deliver it to Lillie; he wasn't aware of what the Colonel meant by giving him the message. It seemed nonsense―

It was... like Lillie's poetry messages to the Enclave. He'd never heard the final explanation of those. This one... James put the paper away and cautiously moved away from the Metro. This message seemed to him that Autumn was expressly telling Lillie to commit treason against Eden.

It didn't make any more sense than her own messages. He supposed he could be interpreting it wrong. But, whatever happened, he had to get her into the Vault and free of the Enclave monitoring. It was a great deal safer inside―

And Eden could _not_ get her out, so he would have the time to undo what terrible brainwashing the supercomputer had instilled in her. It was going to be an uphill battle.

But this was his plan all along, and he would follow through. Damned be that computer, and damned be Autumn and his men. James' feet propelled him into motion, east toward the rising sun.

* * *

James came into Megaton after a tiring journey, but relatively unharmed. He'd moved faster than he had in quite some time, and his feet ached from the strain. As he entered the town, he found the Sheriff almost immediately. The man approached him, first, and gave him a speech about behaving.

"Of course," James said, nodding to the man.

"Now that the introduction is out of the way, is there anywhere I can point you?"

"Looking for a young blond girl," he said. "About my height, wearing combat armor."

The sheriff nodded. "I recall. Last I'd seen of her, she'd gone up to Moriarty's."

James sighed. His previous visit to the town―the information that he'd hidden from Eden―was it likely that Lillie had been told? About the Vault, and about her _true_ origin? He hoped not, but if she had―she might not be willing to speak with him.

She'd been particularly obstinate with him, before. She'd believed that President Eden was worthy of respect, over her own father. The father whom she had presumed dead for more than five years. Given her established loyalty to the _Enclave..._ and if she'd found she was not of the Vault...

He'd lied by omission, just as he'd told her he preferred. It was a betrayal that she would not take very well. There... there was no one left for her to trust, if she found out _he'd_ lied.

James could only hope that her ignorance of the wastes would keep her from the information. That she would not have the capital to get the information from Colin Moriarty.

...He doubted she was _that_ ignorant, however.

James sighed and made his way up to the bar.

* * *

Moriarty's Saloon was not very busy. James glanced around, trying to remember. It had been years since he was there; he recalled Moriarty having salt and pepper hair, back in the day. Twenty years had improved that into a silver mane, but his gray eyes were just as cold as they had been. He didn't have any reaction whatsoever to James' reappearance, at least not until he walked toward the man―

"My, my," Moriarty said, and leaned over the bar where he was standing. Smiled and gestured for James to sit. "And here I thought I had all the pawns in this little game, figured. To what do I owe _this_ pleasure?"

James moved to the bar, staring at the man. _Damn._ Lillie had, at least, made it this far. And it would only be that much _harder,_ if Moriarty knew the game, to get anything from the man. James sighed and steeled himself for a verbal confrontation.

"Colin," he started, and breathed out. The look on Moriarty's face was one of respect, which was odd―

"Looking for your little flower, then?" the barman asked, dropping a rag onto the surface of the counter. He leaned forward onto his hands and stared at James.

"Yes," James said. "I know she was here."

"Was, aye," Moriarty said, shrugging. "She was around. I can't recall precisely where she's gone off to." He smiled, and James felt the sudden shiver of worry again.

Why was the barman giving him―telling him this, _without_ asking payment? Moriarty had been very loathe to give up the knowledge about the Vault, so many years before. If he had this knowledge, now, and he wasn't asking payment, what did that mean?

James wouldn't assume that the man had turned over a new leaf. He must have gotten _something_ as payment, that he felt justified this sudden divulging. ...Or he was _expecting_ a payment, yet. It did not make James very confident. Lillie may have made promises she couldn't keep, in playing the Irishman's game―

"Colin," he said angrily, stopping himself before he snapped. "Where is my daughter?"

The Irishman smiled. "Ach, now, don't be rude." He glanced about the bar. "Little flower is out at the moment." He looked down at the bar surface and shrugged. "I'm sure she'll be back soon."

"Where has she gone, Colin?" James asked, a little more forcefully. "I have a right to know!"

"Aye, I know that," Moriarty said, scratching his chin with a finger. He stared at James for a second longer. "But she's safe, Da, no need for _worry."_

"God―" he stood up and made to leave, nearly knocking over the stool in his hurry. "You're not helping! She might be _dead_ by now―"

"She certainly wasn't when she left here about an hour ago," Moriarty said, casually. "Death finds one quick enough, out there..." he smiled, pleasantly. "But I think your little flower has more _thorns_ than the wasteland. She'll be just fine, Da. Just fine."

The look on Moriarty's face was enough to make him shiver in the hot interior of the saloon. "So where's she gone," James asked, through clenched teeth. Another―another man who acted as if Lillie were some _pleasant thing_ to be around―

"Why not sit down and tell me whither you wandered, when that Vault wouldn't let you in?" The Irishman gave him a knowing look.

Thank _God,_ that explained it. Moriarty wasn't able to get anything out of Lillie about the Enclave. He was curious because all knowledge was valuable to him―and his attitude was deliberate, he was sure. To get him off guard, to force him to make that mistake.

"I'm afraid I can't," James said, slowly. "I've got more... pressing problems to attend to."

"And I've a problem with your attitude." The Irishman looked at him critically. "Little flower owes me a favor, y'see? Maybe dear old dad ought to pay that debt."

James sat for a moment, considering. He had checked his outfit and gear for recording devices. He knew he was without any considerable monitoring. If he were to give Moriarty the information―the Enclave might find out, anyway. In that case he was mincemeat. Autumn would enjoy every second he held a gun to his head.

God, he didn't understand. Where she had gone, why she'd been unconscious―

"I don't know that I can," he said, his voice strained. "It might be detrimental to my _health,_ Colin."

Moriarty grabbed up his rag. "Suit yourself, James. But you mind the girl, when you find her. She's got some nasty habits." He tapped his head.

James noticed he had a bruise across the top of his forehead. He truly hoped she had no other option but to compel Moriarty with violence. The man seemed to be less intimidated than he ought to have been, if he was beaten by a little girl. Whatever Lillie had _done_ to him―

She was so _violent_ now. The wastes did that to people, but he'd hoped―after she'd attacked Autumn―that she wouldn't voluntarily use her combat skills to get results, not like this. She'd compelled Moriarty in the same way―James shuddered. He did not like this person that his child had become. Had been molded into, being outside of his protection.

How _did_ one deal with an unstable hormonal teenager capable of efficiently killing oneself, without oneself getting killed?

If only _Catherine_ were still alive...

No, he couldn't think like that. There was still _time._ Lillie had only been in the clutches of that computer and Colonel Autumn for five years―there was time yet, to reverse their damage, but only if he could find her. He _must_ find her.

Catherine would have killed him long ago, if she were yet _alive―_

James stood and left the bar. _Where the hell was Lillie―_


	23. XXIII - Of the Indivisibility

Note: Minor edit for content. Again, mostly swears. Some italics.

* * *

"Why are you so scared of the raiders?"

Jericho turned his head to stare at the little girl. "I ain't _scared,"_ he snapped, shaking his head and looking down at his rifle.

Lillie was sitting on a rock with her hands in between her legs, looking like a little kid, her feet kicking out and bouncing off the rock surface. Had a smile on her face that made him nervous. Acting all _innocent_ again. Girl was weird enough to begin with, but acting like there weren't nothing out here that could kill them―

"But you asked me if I was with the raiders," she pointed out, one hand gesturing to him. "And I heard from other people you're some kind of badass. Have to be, to live so long, right?"

His ego was stroked. Couldn't help himself. "Yeah, I'm the _baddest motherfucker_ out here," he said, grinning to himself. "Don't you fuckin' _forget_ that."

He liked that the little girl showed him the proper respect, even if she was fucking with him. Even if she was asking questions he didn't wanna answer. She was still giving him that smile that made him feel like liquid inside, and making his head fill up to burst like a dead thing in the sun.

"So how come you're scared of some raiders?"

"I ain't fuckin' _scared!"_ he shouted, turning on her. "You shut up about that _shit,_ or I'll _show_ you scared!"

Lillie blinked and tilted her head, her mouth widening into a worse smile than the last. Jericho looked away, his hands tightening on his rifle. Goddamn, she lit the fire when she wanted to. He could already feel his leather a little too tightly, like he was uncomfortable in his own skin. Liked the smile, but it made him nervous―

"What's the goddamn _plan,_ here?" he asked, his voice low.

"Hmm," she said, putting a finger on her chin. She stared up into the sky for a moment, her eyes hazy like she was daydreaming.

 _Jesus Christ._ Jericho closed his eyes and turned himself to the south, staring at Megaton. They weren't that far away, but she'd brought him out because she said she needed to think without distraction. Her path took them closer to Springvale than he _wanted_ to be―

He was _distracted._ Thinking about being out in the open. He regretted that he'd wanted to leave town. Every little noise made him antsy. Damn near jumping out of his skin at this point. _Any one_ of those fuckers at the school could be watching them―watching _him_ ―waiting for a moment to ambush their stupid asses for being out in the open.

And her smile was so fucking _unnerving._

"Well," she said, tapping her chin. "I have something I need to do, but..." she sighed. "But I don't quite know how it'll go."

"What, gettin' in that Vault?" Jericho spat on the ground, his eyes moving off of her again and to the north.

"Yes," she said, her voice light-hearted. "Do you have any ideas?"

Jericho barked out a laugh. "Girl, we both know _my_ talents lie elsewhere than _computer_ shit."

Lillie laughed. Jericho grimaced. Goddammit, he was having a hard time keeping his head from flying off into stupid thoughts―like the Irish fuck said, he wasn't gonna _survive_ her if he didn't mind himself―

"My name is _Lillie,"_ she said, pointedly. Dangerously.

"Yeah, I know," he muttered. "Alright, _Lillie,"_ he said, a little louder, "what the fuck is the plan?"

"I like it when you say my name," she said, in such a weird tone that he took two steps away from her before he stopped and turned around. _Shit!_

"Listen _here,_ little girl," he told her, as meanly as he could. "You'd better stop this stupid-ass _shit_ you're playin' at. _This_ out here―" he gestured to the world around them "―this ain't a goddamn game!"

She stared at him for a minute, her smile disappearing. "You're right," she agreed, finally, in a blank voice. "No more playing. Come on, Jericho."

She hopped down from the rocks and started walking. He watched her walking away for a moment, before his own feet started moving. Whatever her deal was―

Shit, he'd _better_ get paid for this shit. Better get paid good, too.

* * *

He pointed her in the right direction to find the Vault. Local shit, he still remembered pretty good. Definitely remembered the elementary school, and why he'd quit―Jericho kept his eyes forward and tried not to think about it. He'd quit, and that was that. No _more._ Even if those assholes somehow found him, he wasn't planning on being shot for what he'd done.

On that thought, he kept his eyes on the area and his rifle out. Lillie wasn't even bothering to look around, just sort of... _goose-stepping_ her way down the highway. _Ridiculous._

"This is kind of _spooky,"_ Lillie said, when they'd gotten inside the wooden door, and looked down through the darkness of the cavern, toward the Vault door. "Like... ghost story kind of spooky. Oh, _look."_ She stepped over a skeleton. "See?"

Jericho didn't look. His boots crushed hand bones as he stomped along behind her. "Do you think the people are still in there?" she wondered, putting a hand out onto the door and tilting her head slightly.

"Wouldn't surprise _me_ if there weren't no one left," he muttered. "All them Vaults. Fuck, I never saw one that wasn't full of crazies or ghouls."

Lillie went still, her hand outstretched as she was tracing the edge of the door seam. "Like that one in the bar?" she asked, her voice hushed and almost scared. Kept her eyes forward.

Jericho grinned to himself in the darkness. Creepy little girl was finally _scared_ of something, huh? "Yeah, like that cocksucker," he replied, and moved up behind her. Put a hand out to hover over her shoulder, and made a growling noise as he shoved her into the door.

He gave her credit. She might have been scared, but she knew how to put off a threat. Lillie shrieked and spun, a foot up and in his crotch before he could react.

 _"Christ, fuck,_ _ **fuck,"**_ he groaned, after landing ass-first on the rocky cavern floor. "Can't take a _little fuckin' joke?!"_ Christ, that fucking shit _hurt!_ His poor boys were retreating into his stomach from that kick! God, he might never see them _again―_

"I'll kick your butt a million times until you get the _point!"_ she shrieked, her face red and body shaking. "You―ugh! Stop _touching_ me!"

Jericho sat up and winced, pushing himself to a stand. "Gonna have to hit me a lot _harder,_ you wanna kick _my_ ass," he growled. Moved up to her and got in her face again, like he had that time outside of the saloon. Just him and the Vault door, and she was sandwiched in-between. "You're out here playin' _around_ like some kind of little _kid―"_

Lillie narrowed her eyes at him, shining in what little light there was. He swore he could see himself in there. Fuckin' weird. Like she had mirrors in there―

"Maybe I need to talk a little clearer," she said, slowly. Her voice was hard. Not scary, but precise in her words. "If you don't want to be _here,_ you can go. I don't need you, _anyway."_

He stared her down for a moment longer. "You asked me to come," he said, deliberately stressing each word. "But you ain't footin' the _bill,_ little girl."

She raised both eyebrows, looking a bit surprised. _"Moriarty,"_ she said, sighing. "I should have figured―"

"The Irish fuck don't do nothin' _but_ play games," Jericho said, fighting the urge to back away from her. She was hot like an irradiated barrel―shit, she looked a little hot, her forehead shining with sweat―and he didn't need any complicated shit with _him_ being hot on _her―_

Jericho winced inside. He was a dirty old man, goddammit. _It ain't exactly easy to give up bad habits._

"I understand," she said, and put a hand onto his chest to push him away. "He wants to know why I'm trying to get in here, huh? Even after he told me I wasn't born here."

"Only thing _I_ know is that he said you got somethin' goin' on, you ain't lettin' on," Jericho said, moving back to let her through. Thank God she moved first.

"He's smart," she said, crouching down and examining the Vault door control. "But _not_ smart enough. I ought to have stabbed him in the head." She chuckled. _"Oh, well."_

Huh, he'd figured she'd given him caps, not extortion. Jericho grinned. Hah, she was a lot like him. He _appreciated_ a good threat. Maybe she wasn't that weird, after all. After he knew her angle on getting what she _wanted._

"S'truth," he said, shrugging. "I'm only along until I find out what you're up to."

Lillie turned her head and stared at him for a moment. "And if I told you everything, right now?" she asked, her hand held out over the controls.

He lit a cigarette before answering. "I'd probably hang on," he said, thoughtfully. "Kinda depends on what you got _goin' on."_

She flashed him another one of her brilliant smiles before she lowered her hand and pressed a button on the door control. "I would like to speak with the Overseer, please," she said, clearly and slowly. She released the button and waited.

A garbled response came back after a moment. Some cranky asshole telling her to fuck off, basically. Lillie nodded to herself and drew out her combat knife. She pushed the button again and stared at the plastic-coated wires underneath of the controls.

"I would like to speak with the Overseer, please," she repeated, just as carefully. "If I cannot speak with him, I would like to speak with Head of Vault Security, please."

Another garbled response. Lillie interrupted the man before he could finish his sentence. "Sir, I am looking at your exterior door control," she said, coolly. "And I know exactly which wire will cause your security systems to initiate a Vault-wide alert. All I'm asking is to speak with someone in charge, _please."_ She released the button.

"Do you, really?" Jericho asked, mostly out of curiosity.

 _"Yes,"_ she answered, deadly serious. "If the Vault goes on alert, they'll have to manually check the entry door via test protocol―" she paused, and adjusted herself. "In order to shut down the alert. They'll run a test to make sure the door is functioning properly. It won't open, but they'll have to unlock it." She smiled. "And that's when we get in."

"Damn," he muttered. Didn't know what to say. She _was_ one of them science-y types, but not like the ones he'd met before. Lillie was more like―like some kind of super-scientist. _...Eh,_ he'd think of a better name, later.

The response this time was a different person. Sounded like Sheriff Simms, all high-and-mighty on his cowboy throne. Lillie waited for the man to finish his long-winded declaration before she held the button down.

"I am a representative of the United States government, sir," she said, authoritatively. "I require _access_ to your Vault. I'm asking you to open this door under U.S.C. section 2265, right now."

Jericho raised an eyebrow at her. "The fuck is _that_ shit?" he asked.

"Don't worry about it," she said, flicking her knife back and forth as she waited. "It's mostly nonsense."

"Sounds _important―"_ he started, but was interrupted by the response of the important man.

Lillie sighed before she replied. "Sir, I really don't want to ruin any part of your Vault―" she started. A garbled sentence about risk. "I do understand!" she said, getting angry.

A noise in the cavern caught Jericho's attention, and he turned himself to the wooden door. Held up his rifle and pinched the cigarette in his teeth, staring at a dark figure coming through the gloom.

"Hey," he snapped. _"Company!"_

She turned her head quickly, releasing the intercom and standing. Pulled out her little pistol and aimed it into the dark. "Who's there!" she shouted.

"Oh, thank God," a male voice came through the dim cavern. "Lillie?"

Lillie lowered her weapon and frowned. "Dad?" she asked, confused.

Jericho shook his head at this shit. Here he was, about to figure her out and now this? What in the hell was going on―

Maybe getting old _had_ made him stupid.


	24. XXIV - Of the Interchange

Augustus was staring gloomily into his bowl, filled with mush―he knew exactly what went into the food processor. He didn't want to ruminate on what variety of amino acids he was shoving into his stomach, or what bound that mush together into an unrecognizable lump on the spoon. He lifted the spoon and let a blob of it fall back into the bowl, and sighed.

Distractedly, his thoughts turned from this to something more or less harmful to his ego. Eden. Eden had played him like a piano, an accompaniment to Lillie's VIOLA. His role would forever be that of the background harmony, no matter if that harmony were flawed and grating on one's ears.

He smiled grimly to himself. He'd been reading entirely too much poetry, lately. The elaborate mannerisms had rubbed off onto him. As it had... with _Lillie,_ to disastrous effect.

As was instructed, James had been delivered to the area. The plot was in full-swing and the dramatic pauses were unbearable, waiting for the next cycle of monitoring to complete. The "orchestra" was reviewing the tapes once an hour now, reviewing Lillie's activity.

She was not ill... not that _he_ could tell. She'd slept for a much longer time than was appropriate, but she appeared hale once she woke. With her, now, was a leather-clad man armed with a rifle, varying between agitated and pensive in nature. Lillie had attacked him at least once, upon waking, and she was constantly watching him. That was good; Augustus didn't trust _any_ wastelander, even one who appeared to have been hired as protection. The _look_ in the man's eyes when he stared at Lillie―

No, he didn't want his brain focusing on that. It was hard enough for him to justify his own feelings without introducing some _vile_ sort of covetous behavior. Augustus closed his eyes for a moment. All he _could_ do was hope.

...But he hadn't much hope, _left._ This next move of Eden's―the development of James being introduced into the wastes― _had_ been what he'd hoped for. He hoped that Lillie had somehow worked her side of the board to force Eden's hand, and that she wasn't put aback by the move.

He couldn't trust that she had planned this, though. Everything he'd trusted before was also planned for, by Eden. He wasn't able to warn James of whatever had been put into place for Lillie, regarding VIOLA. There were so many outcomes of the supercomputer's vague threat about losing the feed, he couldn't pinpoint any one as more pertinent than the others. All were worrying, and most were fatal.

If she had a _bomb_ in her head, at least her suffering would be over with that much more quickly. He didn't _want_ to imagine. He _did._

Augustus breathed out, calming his hand. The spoon had been rattling on the edge of the bowl, a sound that was immeasurably loud in the quiet of the mess hall. Couldn't do that―

He was worried for _Lillie,_ dammit. Bothered him, the concern he was fettering inside his head and chest. It was useless to think in that way, he knew. She was _safe,_ her father would find her. Everything would be well once James managed to run her down and get her into that Vault. It _would_ work out, James and he focusing their collective brainpower onto defeating the supercomputer. It _would_ work.

She had been safer _before,_ though. Safer in the bunker, where he could watch her. Safer when her spirit was being crushed by him; safer when she was a child, when she had not yet lost her father. Safer before she came to Raven Rock―safer when she was not yet _born―_

His spoon danced across the edge of the bowl again. Augustus put it to the side and covered his face, rubbing his eyes. His worry for the girl was completely expected by Eden, and he _knew_ it would use her to compel him into action. He had to get a better grip on himself. Wouldn't do to lose his head―it was only a matter of time before he would be subjected to Eden's machinations again. And Lillie might suffer for _that._

Eden expected him to fight the feelings; maybe it planned on his unwilling nature to push him into being agitated, once more. He'd been oh-so malleable when he was agitated. Regretted that he'd caused anguish to Lillie, and turned his weapon on her. Even if he was proud of her, when she'd fought him off. He should _not_ have given into that anger. It was uncouth.

That was one matter he'd not _had_ to worry about, though. Augustus stared down into the gray lumps of the unidentifiable porridge. He'd reviewed her combat holotapes. Lillie was using every trick in her book to deter threats. She'd not backed down from danger, but assessed the situation and provided an entirely adequate response―an _excellent_ response, even.

The whole of that, and knowing she'd been trained by himself, made him feel rather strange. Beyond being proud, he felt some emotion in his chest that... he wanted to act upon, but was unable due to circumstance. He... _admired_ her. She'd taken everything she was taught and done exactly what she was ordered to, with slight delay. She was a _good_ soldier.

He appreciated her as an asset, he reminded himself. An unbidden thought reminded him that it was unlikely he'd _ever_ see her alive again. The thought only worsened his _pain._

Augustus sighed and began to eat, trying to ignore the errant thoughts. He honestly wished he was still having migraines. That pain was more tolerable than this strange constricting feeling he was experiencing in his chest.

Idly, he thought that it might be a heart attack. But no, he wouldn't presume he could be _that_ lucky.

"Colonel Autumn!"

One of the technicians in the "orchestra" monitoring VIOLA. He turned his head but not his body and acknowledged the man. "Sir, she's reached the Vault," the technician began. "As of one hour ago she was poised to enter, _but―"_

Augustus dropped his spoon into the bowl and stood up. It was going to be a _very_ painful day.

 _Let us get it over with, then._

* * *

Lillie was at the Vault entrance, staring at the wires under the door and using the intercom to speak to those within. Her education was not complete, regarding Vaults in general, but technical specifications had been provided to her. Eden itself had gone over the plans with her and discussed various solutions to hypothetical problems.

Augustus moved into the monitoring station and positioned himself to see the footage. She must know that the so-called "exercises" were designed to accommodate her in this venture. That everything had been planned to meet this eventuality. If...

He watched the technician placing a holotape into the terminal. If he were to take her messages as _Eden_ interpreted them, he would be alarmed at her steadfast refusal to comprehend his warnings. He knew she was particularly _stubborn_ when she was emotional, such as when she'd found he'd _lied_ about James―

 _That_ lie had been given out in spite and hate, and now came back to haunt him. He took a deep breath and released it. _Patience,_ he reminded himself, was a virtue. He would be patient and attempt to understand her better, and wait for another sign.

If he were to imagine another interpretation of her poetry... He mused to himself for a moment. _"Freedom's chosen station"_ had been in Don Juan; the titular character, upon viewing Britain, had been extolling the country's virtues prior to being set upon by a brigand. He suspected Lillie had been telling him that she understood who he'd referenced, in his warning.

 _"Death, thou shalt die"_ probably referred to Eden, and her opinion of the President. Combined with one another, the two lines made her declaration of being _"ignis fatuus"_ into a promise.

A promise that she would deceive, and play along. If he _could_ believe that was what she'd meant.

"Here we are, sir," the technician said, moving away.

Augustus watched in silence for a moment. Lillie had been conversing with the residents of the Vault, when she was interrupted by James. His attitude was nervous, as he moved up to her and placed a hand over her eyes. For ten minutes, the feed was blank apart from small shafts of dim light peeking through his fingers.

After ten minutes had elapsed, James was violently thrown back and knocked onto the floor; Lillie's outstretched hand was palm out and trembling. She'd pushed him away. Augustus frowned. He _needed_ her to be as affectionate as she once had, for the plan to _work―_

The bodyguard caught her attention, Lillie's eye rapt on his face as he spoke. "Wish there was audio," one of the other technicians said, before being hushed.

Augustus concurred. Given the body language, however... it would not assuage his concern to hear what this grime-crusted rifleman was saying. He continued watching until he caught a brief glimpse of something in the corner of the footage.

"Stop it there," he ordered. The technician hit a button and froze the screen. Augustus drew closer, squinting.

The Vault door was opening in this frame, a small crack of light showing through the crenellation. In the very edge of the screen was a small white blur, with black scribbling on it; he was sated. James had actually given her his message.

"She has access to the Vault, now," he said, ordering the man to stop the footage. "Keep the schedule, mind her actions, and gather as much information about the Vault as you can. We will trust that Lillie can effect a change on the people's minds; that is all we can do at this time."

"Are you not going to watch the rest of the tape, sir?"

Augustus shook his head. "Mind her actions," he ordered, again. More firmly. As if he doubted her, as if she was suddenly to be _suspected._ Which was as he intended.

It was all he could do not to give away the ruse. If the technicians believed that he had reason to be concerned about Lillie's actions, they would first assume it was due to her being where she was born; her actual _home._ They would place precedence on her, and not on what James was doing.

It might buy the man some time to figure out what to do about Lillie. If she was so angered by him that she was _violent_ toward him... she would not acquiesce to surgery, nor would she allow James to examine the visual integration apparatus. _Or_ examine her for any trap Eden might have laid into Lillie's head―

Augustus narrowed his eyes as he stared at the wall, contemplating the matter. "Sir, she _did_ leave another message―" the technician was saying. Augustus turned himself back to the terminal and nodded, calmly.

Fast forwarding the footage: Lillie and the two men entered the door, punctuated by some rough gestures by an older man in a standard 101 jumpsuit. A discussion was apparently held, and the three were escorted further into the Vault. Augustus was relieved that the Overseer had allowed them inside, if under heavy guard. He wasn't concerned about the guards. Lillie was _more_ than capable of handling any security the Vault had to offer.

The group was shown into a jail cell and locked inside, and Lillie had another brief argument with James, her hands animated in her periphery. She moved herself to one of the beds in the room and drew out the message he'd given her. Her eyes moved over his message, slowly.

"Where'd she get that?" someone said, behind him. "Looks like your handwriting, sir."

He said nothing, but watched as she turned the paper and wrote on the back. _"From chains, would gladly be their tyrant's ape."_

Augustus breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't be certain that she would understand, but―he _could_ be sure now. She knew. She knew who he'd meant when he warned her. And her response was enough that Eden would not gather more than it ought to, but assume she was still working toward the mission goal.

He _hoped,_ once more.

* * *

Note: For clarity. (Also, we will be seeing Lillie soon, I promise)

 _Though first in glory, deepest in reverse,_  
 _He tasted empire's blessings and its curse;_  
 _Though kings, rejoicing in their late escape_  
 _From chains, would gladly be **their** tyrant's ape;  
_

"The Age of Bronze" by Lord George Gordon Byron


	25. XXV - Of the Improvisation

The Vault cell was darkened but not unwelcome. After having been outside, in the wastes... Lillie stared at the ceiling, lying on the bed and holding her hand to her chest with _his_ message tucked into her palm. She missed Raven Rock, so much―

Lillie ran her fingers over the tilted writing on the paper, not looking at it but picturing the message in her mind. She smiled, softly, and let her mind drift off as her dad and Jericho got into an argument about something she probably should have been listening to.

He―He _cared,_ still. It was so very important to her that _he_ cared. He had lied, and he had been rude, and he had turned a weapon onto her―but he was at the mercy of a greater mind. It wasn't... wasn't his _fault._ Not hers, either. The one who _should_ be blamed... she closed her eyes and tried to keep the smile on her face.

She felt the ache in her heart. The President had definitely set this whole plan into motion, causing her anger. Colonel Autumn's reply to her messages... She smiled wider. He _respected_ her, enough to send this message. He―

Her smile slowly disappeared. The President had pushed her into the wastes, and expected her to go "home". But it _wasn't_ home. He'd based his plans on her perceived affiliation with the people inside the Vault, but his plan was crucially flawed. Broken at the base, and in danger of falling.

Because her dad had _lied,_ in order to protect her. Like Colonel Autumn lied... she sighed. She'd been as angry as ever, when her dad showed up at the Vault door, and even though he'd pleaded with her to listen to him and understand that he'd only ever meant the _best_ ―his lie had caused such a long shadow and she wasn't entirely _sure_ how they would get away from it.

It was even _more_ dangerous now, more than it had been before. And... and she realized that if _she_ were not of pure stock, _he_ would―Lillie pushed the thought from her mind. _No._ No, she would ignore that. She needed to be strong for this, and that―

The very idea that she would be unacceptable in what she had been raised to be, simply for her breeding, would _destroy_ her.

She turned her mind back to the situation at hand. Inside the Vault, awaiting a verdict given by the Overseer after he spoke with his people. President Eden expected she would encourage these people to join the Enclave, to further its goals―and she would, but not for President Eden.

Anything she did _now,_ she did for Colonel Autumn. She was firm in that. He was more worthy of being in charge than the President, who had been manipulating them both―and his hand had steadied the Enclave, through the years. He was smart enough to know that President Eden was dangerous to his people―a tyrant, who moved the pieces on the board and wasn't afraid to sacrifice them. Pawns that could be saved, yet, pawns that did not need to be lost.

She sighed. Pawns she'd never had a chance to know, because of both the President and the Colonel. She hadn't been allowed to interact with the people she was supposed to be loyal to; maybe that was a good thing, given the disclosure she'd been handed.

"What the _fuck_ are you goin' _on about!"_ Jericho was asking her dad, arms crossed and staring down at him with a nasty look on his face. Lillie turned her attention back to them.

"I don't need to _explain_ myself to―" James looked him up and down and shook his head. "I don't even need to know where Lillie found you, but I can only assume it was the tail-end of a Brahmin. Hence the _smell."_

Jericho's arms dropped and he lunged at her dad, intent to grab him. Lillie snapped at him. _"Stop messing around!"_

She sat up on the bed as Jericho stopped in his motion, making aggravated noises. _"God,_ you two." She rubbed her cheek and shoved the message into a pocket.

"Uppity _cocksucker,"_ Jericho muttered, staring at her dad hatefully.

"Jericho, you need to _behave,"_ Lillie told him, frowning. "I need your help, not your heinous lack of manners."

He rolled his eyes, crossed his arms again, and flopped down onto the bed on the other side of the room. Stared at the wall and muttered to himself in a low tone. She pursed her lips and watched him for a moment.

 _"Dad,"_ she said, turning to him.

He sighed and turned to face her. "Lillie, can we please talk on an equal level?" he asked, looking very tired and very confused.

"I don't think so," she said, coldly. "One can't have equivocal conversations with _liars."_

"Lillie," he said, reproachfully. "That's―"

 _"Unfair?"_ she said, tilting her head at him. _"Undeserved?_ Perhaps... _understated,_ would be more fitting. You have no idea what your _lie_ has done―" she bared her teeth in anger. "What your lie brought on _us,_ on others!"

"I deserve this anger, sweetie," he said, calmly. "I know the ramification―"

"No, you _don't!"_ she shouted, heatedly. "You―oh, my _God, Dad,_ do you _realize_ what will happen to you when _the President finds out?!_ What will happen to _me?_ Or―" she stopped herself. It was none of his business what she thought of anyone else. If he couldn't trust _her_ with the truth of their lives, she wasn't about to give him her honest opinion of Colonel Autumn.

"Lillie, calm down," he said. "Let me _explain."_

"More bullshit," Jericho muttered. Lillie glared at him and he studied the floor intently.

"Your mother died, and I couldn't keep you safe!" James said, raising his voice. "Almodovar wouldn't let me into the Vault. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't protect you any _other_ way―"

"If you'd been _honest_ with the President―" she interrupted.

Her dad cut through hers with another interruption. "If I had been honest with Eden, he probably would have thrown us in an _incinerator,_ Lillie!"

She scoffed. "I doubt _that,"_ she muttered.

"You don't understand." He rubbed his face. "Sweetie, I didn't think that you would _have_ to come back here. _Ever._ And when Eden told me about your goal―"

"Well, I'm going to have to finish _that,_ now _aren't_ I?" she snapped. "And it's on your head what happens." Lillie crossed her legs. "I'm not particularly interested in being a traitor." She glared at him. "Everything that was _planned_ _for_ ―everything about my _life_ ―I was designed for this! And― _and―"_ her eyes began to tear up a little, and she looked away.

"Lillie―" he said, and closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry. I really can't offer you much more than an apology―"

 _"More?"_ she scoffed. "How―" she jammed her mouth shut. "I'm _not_ going to argue with you about this." She wiped her face. "And we aren't even―we're not _Enclave_ if _we aren't from the_ _ **Vault,**_ _Dad!"_ Her voice wobbled a little.

She hated to let that out. Hated to _think_ it, didn't want to, but now she'd _never_ have her knight because her dad lied and she didn't deserve to even be _near_ him―

She was outcast, Mowgli in the jungle. There were no knights in the jungle. Only animals with bared teeth and claws, and she'd fight for it but she would _never_ fit into their world. She couldn't fit into the world that _he_ came from, nor the one her father took her _from―_

She felt a stabbing pain in his chest. She had no future, nothing. She'd _been_ Enclave, and _now..._ now she was an automatic traitor. _His_ respect had finally been delivered, and she didn't even deserve it.

"Lillie, I didn't have a _choice_ but to lie―"

 _"Everyone_ has a choice, Dad!" she shrieked, her voice carrying a little too loudly in the small room. Jericho winced and stuck a finger in his ear, glancing up at her. "It's the foundation of a _free world,_ to choose! _You chose to lie!_ You chose to destroy _everything_ with that lie! _You―"_ She covered her eyes and brought her knees up to her chest. He'd taken her away from a life she _might_ have led, and now he had taken the life she _had_ led! It was―she wanted to cry, but she couldn't let them _see―_

"Because we were _alone,_ Lillie, and _I_ made a decision to _save_ us?" He stopped himself. "Lillie, there's _more_ going on than you understand! I want you to _learn―"_

"And you couldn't teach me _before!?"_ she snapped back at him, wiping her face. She growled in frustration. _"I'm done with it!_ I'm done with _your lies,_ and I'm done _with―"_

"You've been conned into working for those who would have _condemned us to die!"_ he shot back. _"I_ couldn't protect you, I _know_ that! I can't make it any _better,_ Lillie, not the way this―the way _everything_ turned out―" He clenched his fists and stared at her. "I told you that you shouldn't trust anyone. I _warned_ you that you had to make your _own_ decisions―"

"You said I shouldn't trust _him!"_ she yelled, her feet hitting the floor angrily. Lillie stood up and moved into her dad's personal space, putting herself into his face like Jericho had when he was arguing with her. "But―you're just _jealous!"_

 _"Jealous?"_ he sputtered, incredulously. "Jealous of a man who would have put a bullet through my head if he were _allowed?_ Eden was the only thing that kept me alive for the five years that I was imprisoned! And you― _you_ were _brainwashed,_ by those idiots! Brainwashed into believing that _they_ were the _only_ answer! You do not have all the facts―how can you form your own opinion with _limited knowledge of the truth?"_

 _"You're jealous_ that Colonel Autumn could protect me!" she said, spitting at him. He was deflecting her line of argument. It told her volumes about how he actually felt; he didn't want to talk about the Colonel―and she would _force_ him to, because she wanted to know _why._ Why he was evasive―

 _"You_ couldn't protect me, and _he_ could, and you don't _want_ to believe that!" she summed up, her eyes locked on his. _Why_ he was trying to convince her of such horrible actions by someone who had tried to _help._

He pressed his mouth together, staring at her. Lillie watched his nostrils flare in anger. "Lillie," he said, in a low and serious voice, "I already have my suspicions about the nature of your relationship with that man. _Please."_ His voice broke with emotion. "Please don't _confirm_ them in this way―"

He thought she loved Colonel Autumn, then. It explained why he'd been so tetchy with her in the laboratory prison. Explained why he was so firm on her not trusting him. She'd turned him off the subject, the last time. She hadn't―she hadn't _known_ what to feel, then. After the events of the last week, and her own mistakes, she had a better idea of what she had felt. What she _did_ feel.

She _trusted_ him. She trusted him with her life, because _he_ was trusting her, and he deserved that much in _return._ Even if she couldn't ever have what she'd―she put her foot down on that thought. _No, Lillie. Not right now―_

"For the love of _God,_ Dad," she muttered, "you're acting like I've been forced into something I _shouldn't_ want."

 _"Good God,"_ he muttered, covering his eyes with one hand. "Lillie―"

"I don't want to hear it," she said, backing away and crossing her arms, staring at him. "You'll think what you want, no matter what _I_ say. But you _will_ let me complete my mission." She turned her head. "Jericho?"

 _"What?"_ he groaned, rubbing his forehead. He leaned his elbows onto his knees and stared at her.

"I need you to think of the worst, most nasty, most _horrific,_ thing you've ever seen in the wastes. Put it into a story. When the Overseer comes back, and he _will,_ I want you to tell that story to them. Put some effort into it. Make it _disturbing."_ Lillie tilted her head and smiled at him. "I think you'll enjoy that."

Jericho snorted out a laugh, one corner of his mouth turning up as he sat upright. Lillie watched his eyes, saw the little light that shined through. He liked it when she smiled at him. She could tell. If it got her where she needed to go... she would smile until her _cheeks hurt._

She curled her hand near her chin again, her eyes reduced to slits as she watched him thinking. "You're sure they're not gonna just throw us out on our asses?" he asked, rubbing his fingertips together on one hand.

"I _am,"_ she said, retreating to the bed on the other side of the room. "We are going to impress on them the value of a life lived underground, and ask them to side with the Enclave."

"Ain't that the shit Nathan's always on about?" Jericho wondered.

"Jericho," she said, chastising him. "I told you that you could leave if you wanted. In for a _penny,_ now."

He laughed again, and kicked out his legs, lying down on the bed with his hands behind his head. "Nah, I'm good. 'Sides... you're startin' to _grow_ on me."

Her dad sighed and stared at the far wall, without a word. Lillie pulled the message from her pocket again and held it to her heart, trying not to hurt.

For _him._ She'd finish this, for _him._

And _then..._


	26. XXVI - Of the Inertia

Note: sorry, real life is painful and I'm trudging through. hopefully soon things will be back on track

* * *

James had no idea what Lillie had planned. He didn't really understand why she had this idiot man with her; he didn't like the look of him. And her decision to have this Jericho tell the Vault Dwellers a story about the nature of the wastes―

He seriously doubted that the man could convince a Brahmin to look at him with both heads, much less explain how awful things could be out there. Lillie seemed content to stare into the air and ignore them both, while Jericho laid back on the cot and picked his nose. James watched him for a minute before the man threw up a middle finger and grabbed his crotch with his other hand, all without looking at him.

He turned his attention back to Lillie. "Sweetie...?" he asked, gently. Moved to her side of the room and sat down on the cot beside her, her fingers running over the paper with Autumn's message on it.

God, and that man―he hadn't wanted to contemplate it, before. When he and Autumn were discussing the situation after Lillie had "escaped", Autumn had apologized for his rude behavior toward the both of them. Explained that his behavior had been put into play by Eden simply for the purpose of getting Lillie into the wastes. Autumn's body language at the time hadn't lent him to believe he was particularly inclined to romance Lillie―

But James had asked, point-blank, and the response was as if he had suggested the man dip his head in a bucket of irradiated water. Such a negative reaction... perhaps he felt that Autumn had protested _too_ much. That he'd put the words off with such vehemence, that no other solution made sense. Between the odd behavior he'd had in the past―giving him escape, discussing Lillie's going through puberty, even the pleasant look on his face when referring to her being trained by the best―between all of that and the firm protest, James thought he had a fairly accurate idea of how Autumn felt about her.

But, God... he didn't want it to be true.

Lillie didn't bother to look at him, but stared into the air with her hands on the paper and tears at the corner of her eyes. "Ruined," she whispered, and closed her eyes.

"Lillie, I―" James sighed. "I thought that the training... that they were preparing you for a test of VIOLA. That it would only be trials, not actual missions." He ran a hand over his beard.

Her hands twitched on the paper and she breathed out calmly. "I don't think you ever knew much about the Enclave," she muttered, bitterly.

"I didn't, I'll admit that," he said, gently.

"But..." she sighed. "The Enclave is _all_ I know."

"I chose to live, Lillie," he replied. "Your mother died. I couldn't let you die, too."

"And then _you_ died," she said, slowly, opening her eyes and staring into the air again. "Colonel Autumn said you died and I was trying so hard to make the President proud of me―"

"He lied because he wanted to hurt," James said, his voice more firm. "He meant nothing _but_ to hurt you."

"I know," she said, but her fingers were still stroking the message.

He glanced down at her hands for a moment, and frowned. "Lillie, the man doesn't like us. You shouldn't―hold onto this admiration. Autumn won't give us mercy, when he finds out―"

"I don't care," she said, her voice wobbling a little. "I don't have much else to hope for, now do I? I'm―" She wiped her face and shoved the message into her pocket. "I _can't_ be Enclave. We're... we're going out the hard way, because that's the only option we have left."

James blinked in surprise. "Lillie, I don't know what you're thinking," he started.

"It's a game," she said, wobbling again. She stared at him the whole time she was talking. "It's a game and we're the pieces, and the President is moving us on his board. He sees through my eyes and he's planned for me to be here, and he knows more than he lets on." She set her face into a hard look. "Colonel Autumn was pushed into being rude. I was thrown to the wolves. You were kept back as a _sacrifice._ This is a game that you don't know how to play―and you have to be careful, Dad."

"I understand," he tried to interject, but she kept talking.

"Careful, because now that you're here, the President is counting on you to behave in a predictable way. He wants you to do what you want to do. He wants you to stop the feed and try to lock the door. But they won't let us stay. And you _aren't_ taking out VIOLA." She kept her eyes on his for a long moment. "I won't let you."

James blinked in surprise. Certain conversations he'd had... suddenly made more sense. "Autumn," he said, slowly. "That's why you were worried about trusting him."

Lillie nodded. "Once I was outside, I realized something wasn't right." She breathed out. "Colonel Autumn warned me when I was blinded that we were being manipulated. He wouldn't tell me who it was... but he..." she closed her eyes and a trembling smile came over her face. "...He _wasn't_ the man that I thought he was. He was kind, and understanding."

"The man treated us as second-class citizens," James put in. "I have been threatened with _death_ every single time I talk to him, Lillie. He will not _hesitate_ to kill me, if he is given the option―"

 _"Dad..."_ She turned her head to look at him with tears in her eyes. "He was working against President Eden. And he failed." She wiped her nose and looked down. "The President set him up to hurt me, on _purpose._ As punishment, he made Colonel Autumn act in a way he shouldn't have. And now... now he's being punished in other ways." She sniffled a little. "Ways that I don't like, and I know you don't either."

James knew exactly what she was referring to. He recalled Autumn's face when he'd glanced at James in the Vertibird. The man was anxious, and _clearly_ concerned about Lillie, even if he'd tried to hide it. Lillie was concerned about Colonel Autumn in return, and that kind of anxiety could be used for unlimited manipulation... if the feelings were strong enough.

Was it too much for him to hope the feelings were only fonder due to _absence?_

When he'd approached Lillie at the Vault door, and put his hand over her face... she hadn't fought with him. She'd listened to him, carefully explaining why he was there with her, and then she'd asked if he had new orders. He'd read her the message from Autumn, and she'd sucked in a deep breath, and they'd fought again. About everything and nothing. About his lie, about her "combat test", about her being violent.

He knew then, when she'd pushed him down after his remarks about the Colonel, that she cared for the man. Hadn't wanted to admit it to himself. Lying by omission was the thing to do, for so long, it had become second nature for him. _Shameful._

He'd debated about informing her that Eden was a supercomputer; she wouldn't want to believe him, though. She didn't want to listen to his explanations to begin with, much less let herself be educated about the real threat of the Enclave. He wanted to tell her, but he―he couldn't risk her being even _more_ upset with him, right now.

Not with so much going on, not if he wanted her to work _with_ him.

"Lillie, please," he said, his tone tortured. "Even if we are outside of the bunker, there is danger from the Enclave―Eden can _still―"_

"Shut up, Dad," she said, growing angry. "You have no idea what's going on. This―" she snorted. "This insanity has gone too far. I'm _going_ to finish the mission. Then, I'm _going back_ to Raven Rock and I―" she threw a hand up in exasperation. "I don't know what will happen, but I'm going to get to the bottom of this―"

"Lillie," James chided, as carefully as he could. "The President has to know what you're thinking. There's no way you can sneak up on him."

"I won't stop," Lillie said, seriously. "Saving Raven Rock from President Eden is the only thing I can do―to―" her voice broke. "To try to prove that I'm―that I'm _worthy_ of being Enclave."

He felt for his daughter. James was sympathetic to her plight―to what she must feel. He understood that she thought she would never be able to fit into the strange nature of the wasteland, even if that was where she came from. He'd taken one life away from her and substituted another, and she was confused. She couldn't hope to fit in with the Enclave... but she was too brainwashed to fit in with the wastelanders―

At least, the ones he'd rather she fit in with. James shot a glance at the man across the room. There was nothing pleasant he could say about the man. And nothing else he would bear to _repeat._

"Lillie," James said again, his voice stronger this time. "I won't ask you to forgive me. I don't think you _can,_ right now. But I love you, and I've always wanted the best for you. Can you believe me when I say that?"

"I will consider it," she said, sullenly. "No one but you seemed to care about me for the longest time."

James tried to smile. "If you can convince the Vault that it should ally with the Enclave, and they tell the President that you _aren't_ from the Vault―what will happen afterward?"

"We'll be executed," she answered, flatly. "Or we'll escape again. And we can't escape if I have VIOLA." She looked at him with a blank face. _"So,_ we'll be executed."

"Can you let me―" he paused, trying not to sound too pushy. "Can you let me _try,_ Lillie?"

"To do what?" she asked, her tone hard. "Turn off the signal? To fix my eyesight so I can see without the lenses? So we can just _run away_ and let all those people in the bunker, suffer?" she scoffed and looked away from him. "That's a cowardly thing to do. I don't know why, but I expected _more_ from you."

James frowned, angrily. "Lillie," he said, trying not to argue with her again. "I am certain that Colonel Autumn can come up with a way to get rid of Eden, if he's not distracted..." he sighed. "By _you,_ and what's going on with this situation."

Lillie almost smiled. Her cheek twitched briefly. She didn't say anything, only stared at the floor.

"It is not _your_ responsibility to ensure the safety of those people," James said, slowly. "You can't be Enclave, even if you _try_ to help them. It's simply not an option."

Lillie sniffled again. "Thanks to you," she muttered, and wiped her eyes. "I have no _home._ I have no _family._ You―" Lillie stood up abruptly and moved, sitting down beside Jericho on the other side of the room. He flicked his eyes at the girl and then refocused on the ceiling without a word.

"You're _dead,_ Dad," she whispered, and James' heart finally broke in two.


	27. XXVII - Of the Internment

Note: Didn't want to publish just yet―been having all sorts of stress IRL and having trouble maintaining my frenetic pace from before. I don't like this chapter but I'm letting it sit until I can come up with something better or a follow-up to explain away.

Sorry about the delay, too, I'm just... I'm so swamped. I can't _concentrate._ :(

* * *

Jericho woke up with a startled grunt and started hacking up a wad of mucus. Turned on his side and leaned over the edge of the bed, tasting the nastiness of old blood in his throat. Was getting ready to hock the snot onto the floor, when he stopped himself.

He choked and swallowed awkwardly, staring down at a lump of person. Shit, the stupid little girl was passed out on the floor. He groaned, leaning backward onto the cot, and sighed. Ached all over. No booze for―like three fucking days, or something. Made it hard to think straight.

Jericho cleared his throat, rubbed his throat, and closed his eyes again. _Whatever._ Wasn't worried about being stuck inside the cell. Wasn't worried about the stupid bitch, either―after her and her dad had that fight, he'd learned what he was supposed to. When he got back to Megaton, he'd have _more_ than enough caps to drink himself stupid. Heh, he might even get Nova for a night. It'd been a while since he'd wanted to spend _that_ kind of money.

He sat up, sweeping out his feet. If he didn't stick around with the girl, anyway. Lillie was something _else._ Like he'd said, she really was growing on him. Kinda liked how dumb she was about people, but how smart she was about everything else. Hell, between the two of them, they could make a lot more caps―

Those thoughts vanished. The way she'd been talking, didn't seem she would care about money. Jericho stared at her for a moment, rubbing his eyes of sleep and wondering. Wondering why that Enclave group had sent her out when they could've sent that Colonel fella or―shit, really, _anyone_ else. He got that she was smart as a whip and pretty fucking good at taking out threats, but... she was still a _stupid little girl,_ playing _stupid games._ Wouldn't a fucking soldier be _better?_

On that thought, he jabbed Lillie in the side and jerked his foot back quickly. As fast as she moved―he shook his head at himself. Nothing happened. Jericho moved his foot closer, frowning, and nudged her hard in the side. Still nothing. Shit. Was she dead? That'd put a crack in the whiskey glass, for sure.

She _wasn't_ dead, he could see her tits moving up and down under the chest plate of her combat armor. He watched for a moment, then dragged his mind out of the gutter to deal with the problem.

He stood, and hauled his leg back for a kick. Thought better of it before he actually connected, and grumbled under his breath. Last time she'd taken him down... yeah, he didn't need her to kick his nuts back up into his stomach again. Or something _equally_ painful.

Jericho knelt down and shook her shoulder roughly, turning her onto her back. Lillie's face was flushed, red cheeked and sweating. He put a hand onto the floor, leaning down to slap her cheek. She didn't even react. _Goddammit._

The floor under his hand was cool to the touch, but she was burning up. Bitch was sick. Bitch was _real_ sick, her face dripping sweat and flushed with blood, her breathing shaky. Fuck him, if she kicked the fucking bucket from some _stupid-ass cold―_

After he managed to push himself upward―not an easy task with his legs all jacked up from being fucking old and having been taken down twice by Lillie―he moved across the room, lifted his foot, and kicked the doctor jackass square in the back.

Fucking _asshole,_ that one. Jericho didn't like being talked to like he was a goddamn idiot―never took that shit from Moriarty, wasn't about to take it from a younger and _prettier_ asshole than him. Whatever the jackass thought about him, he could care less. Lillie asked for the help, he worked for Lillie. Her dad wanted him gone? _Talk to Lillie, jackass._

And after that big, long argument he and Lillie'd had? Well, shit. Jericho wasn't a goddamn expert at words, but he knew the doctor got his ass handed to him. Lillie was pretty fucking smart, and she hadn't played any games with this jackass. Dad or no dad, _she_ was in control. And she wasn't gonna get rid of old Jericho anytime soon, unless she got a wild hair up her ass or something.

James jerked and yelled, and turned to glare up at Jericho. "Pretty sure she's dyin'," Jericho said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at Lillie.

James blinked in confusion for a fraction of a second, then pushed himself off of the bed. He brushed past the ex-raider and toward Lillie, muttering under his breath and pulling her onto his lap. Jericho moved to stand against the wall by the door, knocking his knuckles against the bars and catching the attention of the guard on duty.

Wasn't the first time he'd been locked in somewhere. Didn't like the whole of this stupid shit with the Vault assholes, but... something big was going on. Moriarty was gonna get his money's worth from this shit. As long as he and Lillie made it out of this place alive―

Jericho grinned to himself. He was gonna get a _hell_ of a payday, after this bullshit.

"What is it?" the guard snapped, yelling through the window.

Jericho gestured at the girl, lying on the floor and held by her dad. James dropped her hand to her stomach, then moved his fingers to her neck and mouthed numbers. Jericho'd seen plenty of wasteland doctoring, even if he didn't know what she'd caught.

"Radiation poisoning," he guessed, turning his head but not his eyes. Those he kept on Lillie's head, seeing the pale curls sticking to her forehead and the limpness of her arms and legs. Could be that. Could be she caught a fucking cold, who the fuck knew. _Not me._

James shot him a frown and Jericho's mouth twitched up into a grin. "What?" he mouthed, fighting the urge to punch the jackass. No matter what she had, this was a chance to get their asses out of this cell.

"Listen," James sighed. "We need access to the Vault's clinic. Lillie's running a high temperature and might go into respiratory failure―"

Jericho knocked his knuckle on the window. "You hear that, asshole? _The bitch is dyin'!"_

About two minutes passed. Eventually, the door opened. Some asshole in a lab coat stepped into the cell, followed by the security guards, and the door shut behind them. Jericho stayed where he was, minding his behavior like Lillie asked him.

The asshole in the lab coat double-checked Lillie and ordered her brought out to the clinic. James discussed Lillie's condition with him for a moment, and asked to come with. Everyone began to pile out of the cell, with James carrying Lillie like a child.

Jericho cracked his neck, following them even though he was told not to. Orders was orders, and he was Lillie's bodyguard. He wasn't gonna spend another fucking minute in that cell if he didn't have to, _either._

* * *

Down in the clinic, there was a flurry of motion as Lillie was attached to some kind of mask and given an I.V. line. Jericho parked himself against the wall nearest her and watched them working, paying as much attention as he could.

James kept going on about that "viola" thing that she'd been talking about, explaining it to the other one―called himself Jonas. Jericho knew she had fucking funny eyes. James said there were cameras in there. Enclave put a fucking camera in her head to record her while she was out in the wastes. Funny fucking _shit,_ for sure.

Fuck, good thing he _hadn't_ done anything real stupid with her. The more James talked about this Enclave thing, the less he liked it. Nathan's stupid stories were tall tales compared to the shit James was on about. Lillie'd been brainwashed and used as a weapon, according to him. She was manipulated to act like she had, and he wanted to get that "viola" out of her head so that she would be safe from the Enclave.

Meant she needed surgery, he said. Jonas seemed impressed by James. Jericho yawned and cracked his neck and stayed against the wall. Didn't think her dad was gonna try and kill her, not after that argument. And she was sick enough right now that it didn't matter if she did get killed. He could get the info from her dad just the same as from her.

Definitely _easier_ than getting it from _her._ James wasn't a fighter like Lillie, or him. Jericho grinned, trying not to laugh out loud. That was one of those things he'd missed about being out in the wastes, beating the shit out of useless people for ill-gotten gains.

James shot him a look before they got to work. Jericho ignored him. Watched them opening Lillie's skull and removing a metal plate from the side of her skull. Shit, she'd been torn apart in there. _Nasty._

Her skull was cracked and jagged as the doctors looked into her head. Jonas said something about the condition of the bone and James sighed painfully. Jericho hadn't seen a skull opened up like that since the last time he and Stockholm put down raiders outside of Megaton.

Time passed while they worked in silence, punctuated by the occasional request for a tool. Jericho started feeling sleepy again, and stifled his yawns. Watched them working and wondered again, how come Lillie'd been used like that. Didn't seem useful, a little girl being sent out to spy.

A sharp gasp came from James, who jerked his hands back like something had stung him. "God almighty," he breathed, and leaned back down to stare at something inside Lillie's head. _"What―"_

Jonas came around and looked at what he was seeing. His eyebrows shot up and his mouth dropped. "Is that what I _think_ it is?" he asked, incredulously.

James sighed, pulled off his gloves and moved away from Lillie, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He made a frustrated noise and covered an eye, then looked up at the ceiling. "It knew I would be coming here," he said, sadly. _"Dammit!"_

"How..." Jonas squinted. "How are we going to get that out?" he asked, shooting a glance at James.

"We aren't," James said, sighing again. "Let's put her back together."

Jericho watched in silence as they pieced her skull back together and repaired the damage to her scalp. After they had finished, he waited for James to move near to him and grabbed the man's arm roughly.

"The fuck is in her head," he asked, his voice suspicious.

"A plasma charge," James said, staring at him without hiding his anger. "Part of her eye was removed and replaced with a bomb. VIOLA is there to stay." He pulled his arm away from Jericho with a jerk.

"Guess they ain't playin'," Jericho mused, turning his head to stare at Lillie. She was breathing easier now, but still looked sick as a dog.

"No." James sighed, ran a hand over his beard, and shot a glance at her. _"Listen,_ Jericho..."

Jericho turned himself back to the doctor, and narrowed his eyes. James shook his head. "I know we started off on a bad leg. I'm... legitimately _sorry_ if I upset you in any way."

"The fuck you want," Jericho said. He knew _this_ game. He was _good_ at this game. _Been playin' it more years than I oughta._

James looked miserable. "Lillie..." he paused, then cleared his throat. "The way she acts. It's not her fault. It's _mine._ I damned her to that existence, and I'm paying for it."

"Yeah, so _what_ the _fuck_ you want?" Jericho growled, looking down at the jackass with a snarl. "I'm here for caps. I ain't interested in your family drama."

"If I were to offer you... _employment,"_ James said, slowly and carefully, "would you consider it? You can name your own terms."

It was all Jericho could do to stop himself from grinning like a madman as James explained what he wanted to do, and where he wanted to go. Stupid jackass doctor really couldn't protect himself from the wastes; he _needed_ Jericho. Shoe was on the other foot, now. _Hah!_

"Are we clear on this?" James asked him, staring at him without any expression. "Can you do that for me?"

 _"Crystal_ fuckin' clear," Jericho said, leaning back against the wall. "Yeah, I'll do it."

"Thank you, Jericho," James said, and moved away from him.

 _This is a stupid game,_ Jericho thought, watching Lillie breathing. _But now I know the fuckin' rules._

He grinned to himself and leaned back against the wall.


	28. XXVIII - Of the Inversion

"Colonel, I have need of your assistance."

Augustus acknowledged the supercomputer with an indecipherable grunt, his hand stuck into the face plate of a Hellfire Armor. Working through the inner components, he pulled one of the lenses from the visor and inspected it briefly before discarding it.

More trouble with the power supply to the helmet. Intermittent surges through the core systems were causing oxygen failure even when the helmet was not properly fitted. He'd already examined the core for defects and found that the core itself was not seated correctly in the molded shell; that problem could be rectified, but the test subject had lost consciousness and he was determined to find out why.

His hand slid across the metal, leather gloves protecting him from the rough edges of the face plate. The seal on the helmets wasn't effective _unless_ completely secured. The seal itself was in good condition, so he thought it probable that the exhaust system was flooding the helmet with carbon monoxide when the power fluctuated. This could mean a variety of concerns―

Augustus squinted at the face plate and followed a wire back toward a connection. He didn't bother to look up at the intercom light, but kept his eyes on the job. Human life, especially the lives of his soldiers, was more important. There simply weren't enough men to lose one through something so inane as an armor test.

He was also using the problem as a distraction. Trying not to think about―

Augustus closed his eyes for a long moment and breathed out. He had been _trying_ to ignore that for a week, now, with variable success. It wasn't helping his mental well-being to know that he couldn't help imagining what was going on with Lillie and James, but he had finally managed to block it somewhat with determination.

Or rather, block thoughts about what _wasn't_ going on with the two; Lillie had been unconscious again for a day or two earlier in the week, and Augustus had been certain that meant James enacted his plan to remove VIOLA. But the feed was continuous, once she woke from the long dark.

The dire implication made by Eden... the back-up plan, to stop James from removing the apparatus, had been on his mind for far too long and far too late into the night. Deep down he knew that James would not dare harm Lillie, even if she pushed him away or attacked him. If she was in danger by his removing VIOLA, he would abstain.

She _must_ have a bomb in her head, or some other disturbing fail safe. He did not wish to analyze that idea.

He admitted to himself that he felt something other than simple professional pride toward the girl. It was unsettling. And he wasn't sure quite how to handle himself, when facing such demons.

"Would you please report to the monitoring station, Colonel? I really would like this to be dealt with personally... and _quickly."_

Augustus sighed, removed his hands from the interior of the helmet, and shot the intercom light a look. If the supercomputer needed a physical hand on the matter, it was likely another attempt to draw out his emotions toward Lillie. That had happened twice thus far, and Augustus had not bought into the charade. He had never fought a battle so hard. But he _had_ won.

...Without Lillie around, and by allowing himself to maintain that she had not existed, he was back to the behavior prior to her arrival. A stubborn refusal to let the computer push him around. It was better that way.

"I will be there as quickly as I can manage, sir," he replied, placing the helmet down.

The trip through the hallway to the monitoring station was normally a very short one, but Augustus slowed his steps, dreading what he might find once he arrived. He had not set foot inside of the monitoring station for nearly a week, ignoring the missives sent by the technicians. Requests for interpretation of the footage were rebutted with orders to stay the course, and collect data.

Eden wanted him to observe Lillie's actions. She was inside the Vault. It was possible that she had finally convinced the people to join the Enclave. He doubted that very much, however. That Vault... their _goal,_ didn't lend to a positive outcome for the Enclave. There was little she could do but ruin the Vault and force them to depart, leaving him and his men to deal with an uncooperative group of people who were in no way prepared for the wastes.

If it was not Enclave pursuits, Eden only wanted to torture him again. If Lillie was dragging her feet because she wanted to send him more messages, or if she was fighting with James again, Augustus would be necessarily called to intervene. And Eden would capitalize on the opportunity to test the weary Colonel once more.

That damn computer would have no qualms about dangling him as bait for the girl, to force her hand. And she would take the bait, without question. Augustus sighed, turned his head to the side to hide his dour expression, and entered the room.

"What is going on," he barked at the nearest operator, who jumped in his seat and turned to stare at his commanding officer.

"Colonel Autumn, sir?" the man asked, confused.

Augustus frowned and snapped his head toward the intercom. "Mr. President?" he asked, his voice becoming tight with anger.

"Colonel, please review the last recorded holotape," the intercom crackled. "When you have completed that, report to me."

Augustus rubbed his temple briefly, before accepting the holotape presented to him.

* * *

"Lillie is still in the Vault," President Eden said. Augustus shifted his weight and felt the holotape in his pocket, gently butting against his leg. "And she has made little effort to convince the inhabitants to leave. This latest tape has shown us that."

"That is what it appears to be, sir," he agreed, nodding wearily.

"If this course of action continues, I will have to act." Eden sounded strained.

Augustus did not want for that, either. His being pushed into coercion―manipulating Lillie once more, as he had with his ill treatment―was not a desirable outcome. She would fold if he asked her. She was a good soldier. He kept his face as emotionless as he could.

"But, _why?"_ Eden asked, sounding agitated. The light brightened, burning into Augustus' eyes. Eden sighed, as if defeated. "James is _undoubtedly_ behind this. His stealthy scheming was something I had anticipated, though I expected Lillie would have played much nicer with her father. ...Unless it is a plot between the two, to confuse me."

"Lillie doesn't know the truth," Augustus started, but realized it was futile. James would have told her, of course.

"As much as I value your advice, I also expect that her father denounced my name. No, my dear Colonel, she _knows."_

"I expect James has, yes," Augustus murmured, slowly. "But Lillie might not necessarily _believe_ her father." If she did know, then he hoped she would play dumb― "She is a rebellious teenager, of course, and she trusted _you,_ sir. She's very cunning, despite her silly exterior."

She'd been remarkably good at pretending. Augustus cringed on the inside. He himself had been fooled so many times by her marked innocence. ...That innocence that he had seen to be _real._ She was smart, but she was still _young._

Perhaps that was what made her attractive to him. Augustus cringed, this time on the outside. He needed not to waste his time thinking of that. Especially around the supercomputer so hell bent on making their lives miserable.

Eden sighed. "Again, I find my databanks are bereft of information related to the mindset of teenage girls."

Augustus sputtered, coughing and covering his mouth to hide the laugh. He looked at the floor and drew his brow together. Yes, she was very young, _too_ young. He must stop letting his thoughts run wild as if he were a teenager, himself.

"No matter." Eden cleared its "throat". "We will not enact the back-up until I am certain that Lillie is not following orders anymore. When the time comes, I will inform you."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Later, as he sat at his desk reading yet another Deathclaw incident report, Augustus removed the holotape from his pocket and tossed it into a drawer. He shut the drawer and finished the report, before removing his jacket and hanging it up on a peg, then sitting back at the terminal.

The scotch had been finished and never replaced. He was as sober as the day he was born, and did not intend to drink again. Serious thoughts were fluid in his mind, bubbling about and confusing him.

Particularly, he was confused by his attitude recently. He―honestly, he _missed_ the girl. It was novel, in a way. He hadn't thought he would like her as much as he had come to, now, and he certainly didn't _like_ that, in her absence, he was left... wanting.

Her innocence, his role in harming her psyche, and his attempt to repair that by becoming a protector... he was embarrassed by the terrible wrenching of his heart when he thought of such things. His shame and guilt, her reaction to physical contact, even the wide-eyed look on her face when she'd kicked him in the face. Every single thought about Lillie made him hurt.

He needed to distract himself from such thought. _Immediately._

Lillie's actions inside the Vault didn't surprise him. She had been unsuccessful in her persuasion of the Overseer, at least. Augustus had noticed that immediately; as she grew more animated, the Overseer's body language had become the opposite. He was giving no quarter, and shut down her persuasion.

Eden had either chosen to ignore that, or had wanted to bait Augustus with the idea. He had not risen to the occasion. ...He wished he knew how the Overseer had withstood Lillie's charm.

Augustus opened the desk drawer to retrieve the holotape. It pulled out harder than he expected, causing the desk to shudder. He was more agitated than he'd thought. He breathed out slowly, and opened the drawer to the fullest.

He was momentarily confused. There were _two_ holotapes in the desk drawer; there should only have been the one. The other―looked as it if had been secured to the underside of the desk and was knocked loose by his motion. Augustus blinked back surprise and withdrew both tapes.

He knew one would contain Lillie speaking with the Overseer, getting into her father's face, and arguing with the rifleman she'd hired. Actions that he had intended to review. ...Actions that he knew would probably agitate him more.

The other tape... he turned it around in his hands and kept it out of the view of the intercom light. His father's handwriting. He frowned, and squinted. The spindly handwriting he himself had inherited was all over the back of the holotape, letters tilted slight to the right.

He put it into the terminal and gave it a quick once over before ejecting it and shutting down the computer. The holotape went right into his breast pocket, and his hand covered his face in disbelief.

"I don't know if I can trust President Eden," it read. "Priority Override, Authorization code 420-03-20-9."

 _Good God._ The destruct sequence for the ZAX supercomputer. His father had had it, and had not told him. And he was _right._ No one _could_ trust the ZAX bastard. Augustus ruminated on the thought; possibly destroying the supercomputer right that moment.

No... it'd have to be a last resort, of _course._ But at least the option was there. And afterward―

Augustus rubbed his mouth and breathed out into his glove, a sigh of relief. Thank God Lillie was still in that Vault. It would be best for her to never leave. But he―he had no way to guarantee she would stay.

Augustus shook his head at himself, covered his eyes again, and tried not to let the sick feeling in his chest overtake his head.

Was it really too much to ask that he have a _damned_ heart attack?!


	29. XXIX - Of the Initiative

Note: I got about eight irons in this fire. Sometimes I have to remember which one needs removed

Minor edit in dialogue.

* * *

The transition to Vault life had not been entirely without problem. James spent the greater part of two days talking the Overseer into allowing them to stay, even for a short while. He argued his skills could be applied to their benefit, and he would gladly apply said skills. He also bluntly hinted at the fact that his daughter was dangerously mentally ill.

He'd explained Jericho away as her personal guard, much to his own chagrin. Lillie had not been privy to the conversation. James had to plead with the Overseer not to agitate her further, and thanked God that Jonas hadn't divulged the information about the plasma charge to the man.

"You've heard what she threatened to do, before," he sighed. "She knows too much, and is capable of too much, to be released into the world. Let me try to undo some damage."

Almodovar understood, but didn't budge. He insulted Lillie blatantly. James knew that the man regarded her as unstable, and considered her threat to their safety very real. Why should the Overseer willingly allow his own people to be exposed to that danger?

"She spoke to you about the Enclave," James replied. "They want you to join their cause; Lillie wouldn't dare harm anyone inside the Vault. It would destroy her chance of persuading the Vault to swear loyalty to the Enclave."

He'd explained as much as he could to the Overseer about the Enclave. Almodovar felt that she might convince some of the younger Dwellers to rebel against his rule and make them want to join the Enclave. It was a believable risk, James felt. He did his best to explain that Lillie had been denied the opportunity to socialize with children her own age, even teens. He didn't think her chances of convincing another teen to listen to her were very high, solely because she simply did not know how to _do_ so.

He also pointed out that Jericho would be following her around, to mind her behavior. Jericho had agreed to the terms. James did not think the man would actively stop her from attacking someone, but... well, it was the best solution available.

James had had an in-depth conversation with Jericho, about what would happen if Lillie managed to find her way into the maintenance wing. If she managed to hack into a computer or two and caused a power failure. He was disturbed by the interest in the eyes of the man when he discussed how, if Lillie "broke" the Vault, they would all be locked into what was essentially a fully-stocked _coffin._

But he had agreed.

And the Overseer, while he did not enjoy the thought of a crazy teenager roaming his Vault with a dirty wastelander bodyguard, _eventually_ gave James a week-long stay.

"You will leave the moment that week is up, no ifs, ands, or buts," he said, in a familiar no-nonsense tone. "Or you will be shot, and your bodies disposed of."

Much like the fate he and Lillie had faced before. James wasn't worried. It was the best they could hope for.

* * *

James integrated himself into Vault life almost seamlessly, using years of living under the Enclave's "president" to ingratiate himself to the others. The clinic had lacked a doctor with actual medical training for so long that Jonas was damn near fawning over him as he treated the various ailments present among the Dwellers.

The only unfortunate aspect of this kowtowing was that he could not monitor Lillie's activities within the Vault. He _had_ to rely on the ignoramus Jericho, to trust the filthy old man, that he would be able to curtail whatever chicanery she might be up to.

James didn't think Lillie was of sound mind, anymore. She acted as if Eden's whole plot of getting her into the Vault was her destiny; she inferred that she was a heroine in a story that she could control. He believed that she was convinced of her role as an outlander who, in the time of need, would swoop in and save the day for the people who had, in reality, brainwashed her into believing the Enclave was the only answer.

He dreaded that this would end as... as Mowgli's story had. Killing the village she so desperately wished to be a part of, because she desired the safety and the acceptance of a domineering tyrant.

He would never agree with Enclave ideals, but he would not allow his daughter to harm someone who had every right to exist. Realistically, he knew he couldn't undo years of conditioning in only one week, but perhaps he could offer her another hope to hang onto―

Another way for her to prove herself to the Enclave. Even if he would be lying to her―again―maybe he could tempt her into behaving and slowly undo the brainwashing by offering up a solution.

The purifier―her mother's dream of clean waters―the management of which he would skew so that Lillie believed it would ensure her re-entry into the Enclave.

She couldn't honestly believe that everyone in Raven Rock was of pure stock, could she? He knew for a fact that several of the officers working in the medical bay were from the wastes. ...But Lillie might _not_ be able to understand that Eden's desire for the pure human stock of Vault 101 was merely the mistake of a mislead supercomputer, and not the Enclave's true goal.

It was his fault for lying to Eden about their origins, for the benefit of Lillie. She was right, in a way. Eden hadn't had use for someone like James, seventeen years ago. Without the lie, they may well have been turned out. Left to face their inevitable deaths―

James cringed at the dramatic way he'd spoken to Lillie. He didn't honestly think Eden would have thrown them into an incinerator. He had been angry, and allowing his hatred for the Enclave show. He must learn to still that opinion, if he wanted her to believe his plan.

For this to work, however... he would have to _lie_ to her, once more.

James did not feel very satisfied with himself.

* * *

It was nearing time to enact the plan.

James had been sleeping in the clinic. Jericho made progress reports to him at the end of each day. The two men got along like a house on fire.

James was not overly worried about the man being around Lillie; from what he had gathered over the past three days, Jericho was mildly intimidated by her. Vague comments about having his ass handed to him and a snide reference to her being "no Sleeping Beauty" were enough to convince James that Lillie was relatively safe in the company of the foul-mouthed man.

But it was implied violence. James was concerned about this new reputation she had accrued. He needed her to focus, but she would not release that ideal that the Enclave had pounded into her head just yet. She'd been very volatile toward him in the time since their arrival, and wasn't improving.

He sighed to himself, reviewed the medical chart of a patient, and tapped a pencil on the desk. There simply wasn't enough time, inside the Vault, for him to effect change. He would have to use Lillie, outside of the Vault, to draw the Enclave out and prove to her that they were not the bright and shining future she had been promised.

There wasn't enough information in the Vault files for him to undo any of the conditioning. He needed...

"Hey, jackass," Jericho snapped, from the doorway.

James breathed out slowly before turning his head to stare at the man. "Yes?" he asked, his voice measured.

"She's got some shit goin' between her and this little _bitch_ boy," the man said, crossing his arms and leaning on the door frame. "He ain't tough enough to do damage but she ain't fightin' him―"

"I am aware of the way the DeLoria boy acts," James muttered, turning off the terminal at the desk and standing.

"Yeah, _well,"_ Jericho snorted. "She's sittin' out here with a goddamn bloody nose because of that _horseshit."_

James sighed, removed himself from his office, and went to examine his daughter. It wasn't the first time Butch had attacked her―or any of the other teenagers in the Vault―but it _was_ the worst injury thus far.

Lillie sat very still as he cleaned her face, staring into the air. Her nose wasn't broken, but swollen to near twice the size. "What did you say to him this time?" James asked, carefully hiding the irritation in his voice.

"I didn't say anything," she mumbled, sniffing. "He started in on Amata."

James nodded. Lillie's initial plan of getting the Vault on her side―a direct appeal to the Overseer― had _failed,_ and so she was attempting to make friends with the Overseer's daughter. James understood that her plan now was to do what Almodovar feared and cause the youths to rebel.

"We aren't going to be able to stay here, Lillie," he reminded her, gently. He'd told her every time he'd seen her. She'd pointedly ignored him, and continued the trend.

Lillie said nothing, but turned her eyes down. James put the gauze to the side and a hand on her shoulder. "Sweetie," he said, lowering his head to try to catch her eyes. "I know that you think―that your plan is the best one available. Can I offer you an idea, at least? A... back-up, of a kind?"

"Dad..." she groaned, gingerly touching her nose. "I _have_ to do this."

"I know," he murmured, and patted her shoulder. "Hear me out, _okay?"_

Lillie looked up at him with a tired face. The effort of talking the people of the Vault into siding with the Enclave was wearing on her nerves... and the effort of fitting into a group of teenagers so unlike herself surely wasn't helping. James cleared his throat.

"Do you remember your mother's favorite passage?" he asked, lowering his voice in respect to Catherine.

" _'I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely'_ ," she recited, without pausing.

James was surprised, honestly. He hadn't thought she would recall the verse. His nightly recital to her, her mother's dream, had ended well before she was old enough to form permanent long-term memories, out of fear that Eden would find the lie. Lillie shot James a frown, screwing her face up. "That is right, isn't it?" she asked, sounding frustrated.

"It's _absolutely_ correct," he breathed, and smiled with a secret pride that she _had_ remembered.

"Why did you ask," she said, rubbing her nose and wincing.

"Your mother wanted to bring clean water to the people of the wastes," James replied, cautiously. "She was... well, she wasn't able to, and I had to leave for your sake―"

"Don't try to guilt me _aga―"_ Lillie began, sounding grumpy.

"No, no, nothing like that. I just..." James sighed out. "I had thought that, if you were to deliver the purifier into the hands of the Enclave, you could..."

Lillie stared at him with a suspicious look. "You didn't like me trying to gain favor before," she said, her tone hardening, "so why would you do it _now?"_

It took him a moment to work up the courage, but he was able to do so when he saw the underlying exhaustion in her eyes. He walked across the clinic, grabbed up a set of x-rays and marched them back to Lillie. "This is why," he said, thrusting the film into her hands.

She stared at it for a moment, then looked up at him with a strange look on her face. "That's..." she started, her voice going soft. "Me."

"It is," he replied, and he sighed. "I didn't want to tell you, but... we have to leave the Vault, Lillie. You―" his throat tightened. "You need something to guarantee your survival. This plasma charge..." He blinked away the emotion. "Eden's back-up plan. _You_ need one, too."

Lillie lowered the film to her lap and touched the visible lens of VIOLA on it. She was quiet for a moment. James let her come to the conclusion he had purposefully guided her toward.

"They'll know I know," she whispered. "You shouldn't have―"

"I'm sorry," he said. "I love you, Lillie. I don't want you to die."

She wiped her face and sucked snot into her head, muffling a groan of pain. She dropped the film to the floor.

Watching her come to terms with the bomb in her head was painful enough. He hated to see the panic that crept into her face when she realized―as he had, when he thought up the plan―that she would be considered a traitor the minute they stepped out of the Vault. But they had to leave.

Stepping into the wastes again, lying again, to ensure his daughter's survival... the identical outcome of his actions, in the past and the present, was eerie.

 _As you make your bed, so you must lie on it,_ he thought, comforting Lillie.

Even _if_ he had no other choice.


	30. XXX - Of the Intimacy

Note: Sorry about the delay. Wrote a chapter that wasn't fitting, and then lost my focus. Hopefully back into the game now

* * *

A plasma charge. She couldn't _believe_ it.

Implanted in her head, intended to be used if she ever became a threat or if she betrayed the Enclave―

Lillie felt _betrayed,_ herself. She knew how this game was played. She knew she'd been thrust into the world for a purpose. But she'd expected more honor from President Eden―her only friend in the world, for so long, now showing his hand as blackened as―

Colonel Autumn. Her knight... wasn't a true knight. Not if he didn't ascribe to an honorable code, not if he hadn't made her aware of the full danger. Not if he'd―let something like _this_ happen. The thought that he could be complicit in something so awful made her want to curl up and die.

Lillie refused to believe that he'd known about the bomb. Even if he'd lied about her father―to imagine that he'd led her on in such a horrible way, working _with_ President Eden instead of against him like he'd told her―

It was the same as before. She was a _puppet,_ made to please. Her sole purpose was to ensure the Vault inhabitants joined with the Enclave, and to return to Raven Rock for further missions. Because the President had manipulated them all and she was just another pawn. Just another piece on the board. A sacrifice.

How _dare_ he. _How dare he!_

There had to be something more; something she wasn't comprehending. President Eden wanted her to go to the Vault, but... maybe he'd expected she would fail. Maybe that was why she had the bomb in her head. Maybe... he was going to kill her in a show of power. It made as much sense as everything else did, right now.

Maybe he _had_ expected her to die. She didn't even know anymore. It was _confusing._ She had the sword and the shield. She _should_ be able to fight against this―

The only conceivable way she was going to survive this―chicanery―was to keep playing along. To ensure the Vault people joined the Enclave. But it wasn't going to be easy―

She didn't want to be angry. But she was, and she knew her limits.

To hell with manipulation. It was time to _force_ a result.

* * *

"You're a blackguard, Jericho," Lillie told him, as they stepped out of the clinic.

The old man screwed up his face like he'd just stepped in shit, and stared at her. "The _fuck,_ now?"

"A blackguard." She turned her head to stare back at him, smiling a little to herself when he dropped his gaze.

"The fuck is a blackguard," he muttered. "Jesus fuckin' _Christ,_ you and your goddamn _stories."_ He coughed a little, and spat a wad of snot onto the floor.

"A scoundrel," she clarified, walking away from the clinic. "A... bad man. I like that."

His eyes lit up. She'd figured he'd appreciate a little flattery. He wasn't dumb; he was just... wise. You didn't get to be his age without knowing something, she knew. He _knew_ why she'd started the fight with Butch, that was why he hadn't stepped in and broken it up until Butch laid a good hit on her nose.

It was all a game, and it was a game they were both decent at playing. Jericho was willing and able to catch any slip-ups she might make when talking to people. She felt like... almost like she was apprenticed to the ex-raider. The wisdom of the sages, like in her stories. Every hero needed a _mentor._

Hers just happened to be a little shadier than the rest. A grimy old man, teaching her how to manipulate and skew situations to her desire. Learning to manipulate him, too, even if he didn't want to think she was. She always was a quick study.

Morality aside, Jericho was turning out to be an adequate character in the story. She counted on his surliness, his predictable reaction to her dad's nature, to keep her angry. She also counted on his being intimidated by her and knowing that she could kill him at any time.

It was the only satisfactory relationship she had right now, especially given all the other frustration she'd faced. Like how the Overseer treated her as if she was crazy. Lillie frowned and rubbed her nose, thinking.

"Jericho," Lillie said, turning to look at him. She curled her hand near her chin; acting coy, again. It was the best she could do at the moment, to keep him on his toes and watching her. "I have a plan. Are you game?"

"A plan for what?" Jericho cracked his neck, staring at her grumpily. "Last fuckin' time you tried anything, you got that pop in the face. Need to quit _askin'_ for that shit."

"Come on," she said. Closed her hand up, motioning for him to follow, and saw him curl up his lip. He didn't like being treated like that. But he put up with it.

It was fun to pretend. To pretend she wasn't scared out of her wits, to know that she was nervous but not let it show. Everything about the situation―beyond the plasma charge and her position with the Enclave―

The Overseer treating her like she was mental; Butch agitating her into a fight; her dad talking to her like she was still a child. Amata was the only person in the Vault who didn't treat her like an idiot, and Lillie was half-convinced it was because she wanted the same as her.

Opening the Vault. That seed was in place before Lillie'd arrived, she'd figured that much out. Amata didn't like the status quo, and she was in a position to change it. Her upbringing, being taught how to command people... it was clear to Lillie that Amata had been in training to replace her father as Overseer.

It was a shame that Lillie couldn't let her fulfill that familial obligation.

"What the fuck is this plan," Jericho was saying. Lillie opened her eyes and blinked away blurriness, focusing herself. Hadn't realized the punch to the face had affected her that much.

She looked up at the sign leading to the reactor, wondering when she'd managed to walk all that way from the clinic. She must have been distracted...

"There's..." she sighed and rubbed her eyes. "A way to figure this out, yet."

Jericho considered her for a moment. "Right," he chuckled. "Oughta leave that shit be. Ain't gettin' you nowhere, anyway."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Come on, Jericho."

Lillie walked down the stairs toward the reactor, trailing her hand along the wall and humming to herself absently.

* * *

Five minutes later, she stopped and turned on Jericho. "Do you never shut up?" she asked, frowning at the ex-raider.

"You're the fuckin' _tour guide_ here," he said, making a face at her. "I got questions, is all."

"Stop talking," she muttered. "You're going to get us caught."

"I ain't _keen_ to see my skin rot off," he muttered, looking around at the room with a paranoid look on his face. "All this fuckin' radiation."

Lillie opened her mouth, her brows drawn together. "As long as you don't touch anything, you're fine," she hissed at him, angrily. "So stop making noise!"

"All this equipment and shit," he growled, waving a hand out. "If I grow a fuckin' _third arm_ standin' around here―"

Lillie snapped out a hand and grabbed him by the front of his jacket, pulling him down to stare him right in the eyes. After a moment she released him, gagging slightly at the smell of his breath. God, the man was foul through and through―

"If I didn't know better," she said, meanly, "I'd think you were trying to sabotage me."

"I ain't that fuckin' _smart,"_ he replied, crossing his arms.

Lillie stared at him for a moment, saw the shifty look on his face as he refused to make eye contact. Something _was_ going on. He _was_ trying to sabotage her. And doing a poor job of it―

She shifted her weight and casually flicked a hair out of her eyes, putting her hand up to her chin.

"Don't you start that _shit_ with me again," he warned her, narrowing his eyes at the wall. "I ain't in the mood for no fuckin' games."

She thought for a moment, watching his face. So far, as long as she kept her wits about her she could convince him to do almost anything. If he was doing anything else, while he was supposed to be gathering information about her―she suspected it was for _one_ reason alone.

The only thing Jericho wanted for that she wasn't able to offer him to his satisfaction... the only reason he would do anything, was _money._

"How much _did_ Moriarty pay you?" she asked him, in a curious voice.

"None of your fuckin' business," he said, staring out over her head. She had him on the ropes, now. Lillie grinned a little, then controlled herself. Wouldn't do to show her hand so obviously.

"He employed you, though. To find out what I was doing, trying to get in here. And you know, now, so I don't see why you can't talk about it."

"Already told you all that," he said, pointedly. "You gonna be a bitch about it, I'll leave your ass here. I don't gotta do this stupid _shit."_ His eyes swept over the reactor level again, worriedly.

Lillie kept staring at him. "Moriarty's got something on you, doesn't he?" she asked, gently. "Something you don't want people to know about."

Jericho reached out and hooked her by the back of her neck, pulling her closer. He was strong, but she wasn't worried. He put his mouth near her ear and spat into it, angrily. "You best be forgettin' what you're about to say, little girl."

"Maybe it's about those raiders you're so scared of," she said, ignoring the hot breath on her ear. Jericho's hand tightened on the back of her neck, then loosened. Probably remembered what she'd done to him the last time he'd tried to mess with her―

Maybe it was time to try a different tactic. Give him a little bit of trust, even. She couldn't afford for his nonsense with Moriarty to come back and bite her, even if she finished her mission.

And like Colonel Autumn said... knowing _who_ the enemy was, was something one desired. The more she knew, the easier it was to defend herself.

"Look..." Lillie started, placing her hand on top of his. "Jericho. I know... I'm playing a game." She removed his hand without any resistance and turned to face him, pursing her mouth. "But this is a game I want to _win._ You know as much as I do, about what's going on. Maybe more. I don't like being at a disadvantage."

He snorted, acting like he didn't want to listen. Lillie sighed, calculatedly. "I'm not going to be able to win, at this rate. Everyone else is playing the game better than me. And I have no idea what to do," she ended.

Jericho turned his gaze back onto her, finally. Stared at her for a moment, then rolled his eyes. "Welcome to the fuckin' wastes," he said.

"You want to win as much as I do," she said, watching him. "If we teamed up, we could―"

"I'm only here for the caps," he interrupted, jabbing her in the chest with a dirty finger. "You ain't got any."

"Between your... wiles, and my know-how," Lillie pointed out, "there could be _more."_

Jericho pulled out a cigarette, musing on that. Went to light it, but stopped himself, looking around again. She could almost see him accepting the idea, as he pretended to think. He'd already made up his mind. He wasn't that hard to figure out.

"Yeah, alright," he finally muttered. "Sayin' I trust you enough to _think_ about it. What the fuck you want from me?"

Lillie stopped herself from grinning in triumph. She watched him putting the cigarette back in his pack, before she spoke. "I want to know what's going on. Why you don't want me to mess up the Vault." She paused for a moment. "I'd also want to know why you're so scared of the raiders."

"Askin' for the fuckin' moon," he grumbled. "It ain't that easy, kid."

"I know," she said. "But I _need_ to know―"

"Your old man got a plan," Jericho snapped, looking down at her. "I ain't in the know about _all_ of it. But we ain't staying in this fuckin' Vault forever. He's paying me what I want to get you to that purifier shit he was on about, before."

Lillie nodded, slowly. That made sense. She was mildly surprised that her dad would even bother to strike a plan with the ex-raider, but―

She was satisfied that Jericho would trust her over her dad. "Alright," she said, smiling. "But I'm still doing my plan."

Jericho grunted, and looked up at the ceiling. "Whatever, kid."


	31. XXXI - Of the Delinquency

James was in the clinic still, after Lillie had been gone for almost an hour. He'd been attempting to gain access to the Vault's data files, when an alarm suddenly blared over his head.

He sat upright in the chair, pinched his nose, and sighed out. He'd thought that Lillie would focus more on preserving the Vault itself, possibly in addition to delivering the dwellers to Eden. It was certainly a well-maintained living place.

Apparently his miscreant child had more... _dire_ plans. She'd probably sabotaged something―his caps were on the water chip, based on the unreliability of such equipment in the Vaults he'd researched during his solubility work for the Enclave―and this event felt the same as the chaos she'd sown when she was twelve.

She knew perfectly well how such things could be arranged. She was too damn smart for her own good.

If he were honest with himself, he would say the timing of her sabotage _was_ sooner than he'd expected. His informing her of the plasma charge in her skull must have tipped her hand. Lillie might be smarter than most, but... she was still a moody _teenager._ She'd made that perfectly clear, over the past few days.

James stood and removed himself from the clinic, as speedily as he could. There wasn't much he could do, to defend himself, but he was grateful he'd managed to acquire a weapon. He had a feeling it would be _useful._

The Overseer was certainly going to order Security to kill the three of them.

 _Dammit, Lillie!_

* * *

There was a short gunfight in the Atrium that he was privy to, watching from a lower-level hallway. Jericho had his foot on an officer's chest, unloading his assault rifle into the man's helmet facing, while Lillie was exchanging fire with another officer at the doorway to the main entrance.

James didn't react, only watched his gentle daughter killing a man in cold blood right before his eyes. The cracking noise he heard couldn't have been his heart; it had _already_ been broken, irreparably so, after her casual dismissal in the jail cell. He cast his eyes away from her despicable actions in time to see a baton come down on his head.

Stars in his vision, as he scrambled away from the security officer who was attempting to subdue him. Damn, he should have been paying better attention―

The officer fell after a short report from the Lillie's pistol, and James stared up at his daughter. She considered him with a blank face, for a moment, then reloaded the pistol calmly.

"We're leaving," she said, holstering the gun and holding her hand out to him. He allowed himself to be helped up from the floor, staring at Lillie numbly.

"Fuckin' door's locked," Jericho shouted, from inside the corridor leading to the entry. A sharp pinging noise sounded, and a ricocheting noise echoed. Jericho swore, loudly, grunting as he limped back to them.

"I could have told you that," Lillie said, shaking her head at him. "Use a stimpak, Jericho. We're going to take a walk."

The old man grumbled, opening a pocket and applying a stimpak to the leg that had caught the ricocheted bullets. He tossed it away, spat on the floor, cracked his neck, and held up his rifle. "Let's fuckin' _go,_ then," he snarled.

Lillie shot a glance at James, narrowing her eyes. "You're coming with, right?" she asked, cautiously.

"If I stay, they'll kill me, Lillie," he strained out, pathetically.

 _"Good,"_ she retorted meanly, and led the way further into the Vault.

* * *

It really wasn't difficult for her to escape the Vault. Lillie's knowledge of the place―gathered either through Eden's insidious planning or her own stealthy reconnaissance―extended to the secret tunnel under the Overseer's office and out into the main entrance. She marched over to the controls and looked at the massive door with a squint in her eyes, before turning to the men.

"When we get out there, there's going to be an Enclave presence," she said, carefully. "We have to avoid being captured."

"Yeah, yeah," Jericho grumbled, scratching his leg where he'd hurt himself.

"Okay then," she said, simply, and hit the controls.

James was confused. Surely... she hadn't actually _considered_ his offer of the purifier? He knew Lillie would analyze the idea extensively before she even bothered to _debate_ whether to accept it. But... if she didn't intend to surrender herself to the Enclave―

Where else could she hope to go? The Enclave would know where she was, at all times, because of the video feed. She said herself that they would be executed, because they couldn't escape.

"Sweetie," he said, his voice stressed and mood dour, "if you don't let me in on your plan, how can you hope to effect a successful escape?"

Lillie watched the door opening, wincing at the squeal it gave, then turned to look at him. She was wild-looking, her eyes shining and open as wide as they would go, sweating and pale in the harshness of the Simu-Sun lighting. "Dad," she groaned, rolling her eyes at him. "You have your plans, and I have mine. Trust that they run concurrently, okay?"

Jericho said something stupid again. Lillie shot him a glare that should have melted metal, then started toward the tunnel that led to the outside.

"I really don't―" James started, then looked to Jericho. "Are you aware of what's going on, _at all?"_

Jericho's hand came down heavily on his back, half-shoving and half-squeezing him painfully. "I ain't that fuckin' smart," he said, and pushed him toward the door. "But if you wanna get outta here in one piece, _now's_ the fuckin' time."

Lillie shouted from her position by the door for them to hurry up, stamping a foot and putting her hands on her hips. James stared at her as he was forcibly propelled forward into the tunnel, the sharp report of gunfire behind them lending swiftness to their steps. Lillie opened the door just as they reached her, stepping outside of the Vault into a cloudless day―

* * *

He still had no clue as to what Lillie's plan was, but he did understand what was happening in the immediate area. The Vertibird in the distance grew nearer and louder as Vault dwellers began to stumble out into the wastes, shielding their eyes from the brightness of the sun.

Lillie had vanished as soon as they were outside, while Jericho hung back and dragged James up to the rocks above the Vault entrance. "Shut the fuck _up_ and pay attention," the grizzled idiot said, pushing James' head down and crouching on the rocks.

"The soldiers will see us, here," he protested, trying to turn his head and watch the Vertibird circling them.

"That's the _point,_ asshole," Jericho snapped, holding James' head in place. "Fuckin' pay attention, like I _said."_

He watched the agitated Vault dwellers, milling about on the rocks in front of the entrance, their departure forced by Lillie's hand. A few were yelling at Almodovar about―well, Lillie and her entry to the Vault, stating the obvious. Hindsight was _always_ 20/20, and their anger was justified. James could hear most of the words being used, and although they were unpleasant ones, he was very tempted to agree with the former residents.

He still couldn't see Lillie, though he could see the Vertibird coming down for a landing on the road below the Vault entrance. The agony of waiting for something to happen was terrible―waiting for their inevitable arrest―the summary execution that was to follow couldn't happen soon _enough_ for him.

Damn his daughter and her― _delusions!_ What could this latest plan of luring the Enclave in and _letting_ themselves be captured, prove?

The dwellers were shortly corralled into a close group by the Enclave soldiers that poured from the Vertibird. Another vehicle began approaching from the northwest, and James sighed. Loudly enough to irritate Jericho, it seemed, because his grip on James' head grew tighter.

"Listen, jackass," the foul man said. "You gotta have a _little_ fuckin' faith." He removed his hand, finally, and gestured to the first Vertibird.

James turned his head, his neck sore from the pressure Jericho had placed upon it, and stared. Was that―?

Lillie was crouching at the back end of the Vertibird, then pulled herself into the bay. She moved slowly across the floor for a moment, grabbed something bulky from the inside, and fluidly removed herself from the vehicle without pause, heading west around the rocks.

Jericho coughed, muttered something about luck, and grabbed James by the upper arm. Started to drag him southeast, moving through the rocks in a random pattern.

"If I have faith," James said, his temper frayed, "it's that you've betrayed me. When I asked you to get my daughter and I to the―"

"We're still headin' to your precious purifier," Jericho snarled, pulling him faster through the rocks. "Have some fuckin' patience, asshole."

After a moment, Lillie joined up with them, her feet steadily pounding the dry earth. "Southwest toward Megaton, then west to the river," she barked, moving faster than James thought she was capable of. Jericho grunted and dragged him even more roughly, forcing him to keep up or fall down―

A spattering of gunfire behind them brought little puffs of dust from the wasteland floor, and Jericho let loose a loud string of profanities that made James' face turn red. God, and this was a man he'd entrusted his daughter's safety to―he almost preferred Colonel Autumn's hatefulness!

The second Vertibird followed them, spraying the ground with bullets, for a short time longer. Abruptly, it pulled away, heading back toward the Vault, as the trio bolted steadily west.

That worried him, but he had other things to be more concerned about―like where, _exactly,_ they were headed―

* * *

Half an hour of frenzied running later, and another gunfight outside of a Metro station, James was finally allowed to rest his sore legs. Lillie led them into a small pump room near the river, having cleared it of raiders, then set herself down onto the floor and opened the duffel bag she'd retrieved from the first Vertibird. Jericho took up position by the door, lighting a cigarette and looking entirely full of himself, as James watched Lillie carefully.

She muttered to herself, assembling something on the floor, occasionally pulling a tool from the bag and utilizing it. The object she was creating from scrap electronics and wiring shortly took on a rounder shape, and he suddenly realized she was making an Eyebot.

"What do you intend to do with that?" he asked her, carefully.

"Got to increase the signal-to-noise ratio," she said, examining and tossing a piece of scrap to the side. "If they can't pick up the right noise―"

James blinked in surprise. "How do you know?" he wondered. As far as he knew, she hadn't been allowed to know anything about the set-up of VIOLA. If she'd known, she could pull a stunt like―like this, disrupting the signal and causing trouble for Eden. He doubted Eden would be happy to learn that Lillie was aware of VIOLA's nature, either.

"You can thank Butch, if you want," Lillie said, placing another piece into the makeshift eyebot. "I was forced to avoid him so often, I ended up in the Vault radio room. You'd be surprised how much you learn, when you're forced to fake an interest." She pushed two pieces of scrap together, then pulled out a power cell, attaching it to the inner workings of the half-made robot. "If VIOLA can't be dug out of all the noise..." She glanced at him, critically, her eyes implying more than she'd said.

James nodded, slowly. He watched her powering on the robot and heard the familiar penny whistle that the Enclave radio played, before she quickly switched the frequency. Lillie closed her eyes, grimaced, and picked up the half-built robot.

She stood, and carried it to the door. "Let's go," she said, firmly. "We have to leave, right _now."_

Lillie wasn't playing President Eden's game, anymore. She had just tipped the scales in her own favor, by disabling the radio link to the plasma charge and disrupting the feedback that VIOLA would provide the Enclave.

James stood and followed her from the pump room, his feet slowed by the frantic pace they'd set before.

She'd gone rogue... and he wasn't sure that was a good idea, at all.

How much worse could this whole situation _get?_


	32. XXXII - Of the Development

Lillie stepped out into the wasteland, shielding her eyes as the three of them left the Metro. Her dad was leading the way, southeast into the ruins. She stared at her feet and hazily picked out the small pebbles that shifted under her rubber-soled boots.

The newly-created signal noise wasn't just disrupting the transmission to the Enclave, but also causing some interference with VIOLA's ability to allow her sight, giving her the equivalent of mild static. She was having trouble adjusting to it―but she _had_ to. There was no other option.

Not if she wanted to follow through on her, admittedly, vague plan of luring President Eden into a trap. Using the purifier her father had dangled in front of her as a way to drag the Enclave into her own web―to remove the threat that was President Eden―

Jericho mumbled a swear under his breath, striding forward and ahead of her. She didn't bother to look up, but kept her eyes on her feet. Stared at the gray dirt under her, thinking and thinking _hard._ She had a headache, already, from the extra noise generated by the eyebot as it broadcast a nonsense signal over the air. It was going to be an uphill battle, from here on out.

Lillie rubbed her eyes and glanced around them, following the men into another Metro. She felt warm tears falling down her face, though. Didn't like to think about what she was doing.

Treason. If she wanted to take down President Eden... she had to _use_ Colonel Autumn. She hoped he would understand―what her plan was―that she didn't _want_ him to be in danger, anymore, but because of how everything was going, she had to introduce a new threat. That she had to utilize the wasteland's resources in her effort to take the President down.

He should understand. He was... he was smart enough to comprehend what she intended. But so was _President Eden―_

"What's your plan, kid?" Jericho asked her, cutting through her thoughts. He sounded impatient.

Her dad was staring at her, and she ignored him as best she could. "We'll head for that radio station the ghoul talked about," she said, calmly. "Galaxy News Radio."

Jericho shifted his rifle off his back, spat on the ground and grunted. "Fine, let's _go."_

* * *

The trip through the Metro should have been relatively easy, between the three of them. But for Jericho's incessant complaints, it would have been a great deal quieter, too.

"Why the hell you continue to make so much noise, especially given all the... _things,_ that lurk down here, I'll never know," she snapped at him, as they moved through a mezzanine. A nasty smell lingered in the air, the by-product of a slew of feral ghouls that had to be destroyed before they could pass.

Her head ached terribly, with the radio noise still in strong effect. She really just wanted him to shut up and walk in silence. Was that too much to ask of him?

"I ain't exactly used to the quiet," he growled, kicking a dismembered limb off into the darkness. "Don't you fuckin' start with me, _neither."_

Lillie felt a painful twist in her eyes, closing them against the bright glare of her Pip-Boy. The only light they had, but it was so inconvenient―

She didn't reply to the ex-raider's comment, choosing to ignore him as they moved to the lower platform and removed more feral ghouls from existence. Her dad took the lead, and Lillie let him. Now that he knew where they were headed... he didn't seem as perturbed. She wondered why, but her head hurt so badly when she tried to think―

It was a long minute or two before Jericho snickered at her. "Don't tell me I hurt your fuckin' _feelings_ or somethin'," he said, jabbing her with an elbow.

Lillie sighed. "No," she told him. "I'm... thinking. Which is hard enough to do, without your running _commentary."_ She glared at him.

"Yeah, 'bout what," he prompted, pulling out a cigarette pack and lighting one. "Shit," he muttered, tossing the pack into the ground.

"Why do you care?" she muttered, grumpily.

Jericho shrugged, eyeing up her dad's back. _"Bored,"_ he muttered, frankly.

Lillie sighed. "There's a lot going on, Jericho," she muttered, in a low tone. "Things that have to happen, but I'm not happy about."

"So what," Jericho said, breathing in deeply. He coughed a little and spat to the side. "Ah, Christ, not that shit again," he muttered.

Lillie ignored him spitting up blood. "So now... I'm a traitor―" she growled a little, in frustration. "And I _have_ to be that, or else nothing matters."

Jericho nodded, thoughtfully, finishing his cigarette before he continued talking. "Got that," he replied, flicking the cigarette butt off into the distance. "People after you. That Enclave shit."

"Yes, that 'Enclave shit'," she replied, sorely.

"Being on the run ain't no fuckin' fun," he grumbled, glancing back the way they'd come. "People _watchin'_ for you. _Waitin'._ Makin' a fuckin' plan to drag your ass back home and _skin you alive over a fuckin' campfire."_ He looked again, his motions paranoid in their jerkiness.

"That's why," she told herself. Jericho was afraid of the raiders because he'd done something, just like her. He was still alive because he was careful, and had holed up in Megaton, and―well, because he was tough, she guessed.

She really did find him very interesting, and not just because he was similar to herself. "What _did_ you do when you were a raider?" she asked him, curiously.

Jericho snorted and laughed at the same time, making a disgusting noise. "More like what _didn't_ I do," he said, shaking his head. "I was a fuckin' _beast―"_ he stopped himself and shook his head. "Don't wanna talk about it."

They were quiet for a moment. "Why did you run, then?" she asked, pressing the issue. She'd asked him to be honest with her, but he hadn't followed through on every part of that, yet.

He turned to look at her, rolling his eyes. "Jesus Christ," he said, disbelievingly. "You _are_ fuckin' naive. I already said, I ain't _talkin'_ about it."

Lillie growled a little, out of anger and the reminder that she hadn't been very good at persuasion―especially if she couldn't persuade a nasty old man to tell her a story about his past. His past that he was obviously so proud of, given his previous comment. Lillie narrowed her eyes at Jericho and pouted.

Her dad cleared his throat and motioned for Jericho to move forward. The ex-raider spoke to him in low tones for a moment, then dropped back and walked beside Lillie again. A minute or two later, he elbowed her in the arm, halfheartedly.

"I _fucked up,"_ he said, quietly. "That's what I did. Took what I wasn't supposed to, then ran off because _why the fuck not."_

Lillie frowned. Jericho kept talking, his eyes on her dad's back. "I went to Megaton and _begged for fuckin' mercy_ and promised I wasn't gonna be a raider no more. Told them how to take down the bitches in the elementary school and got a price on my head." He glanced at her, a serious expression on his face. Looked away and rolled his eyes, in response to her curious gaze.

Lillie waited a moment or two to let the information sink in, then nodded. "Thank you for telling me," she said.

"Don't get all prissy on me," he muttered, patting a pocket and then frowning. "I liked you the way you were. All hardass and―" He shook his head, jamming his mouth shut.

Lillie sighed and smiled a little. "I like you, _too,_ Jericho," she said, moving forward to walk beside her dad.

She felt a little better. But only a little.

* * *

"Let me see if I understand this," Three Dog said, rubbing his chin and staring down at Lillie. "You want to help me get my baby crying again. In addition to that..." he cracked a grin. "You're giving me a way to counter that bullshit on the Enclave station?"

Lillie considered the man, evenly. She'd heard the radio; she was aware of the "bullshit" that he was referring to, and even if she didn't like how hateful he was toward the Enclave in general, she understood _why_ he acted that way.

"That is... essentially, what I said," she replied, cautiously. "You do understand how signal power works, right?"

"I have my _tricks,"_ he shot back, grinning ear-to-ear at her. "But are you for real? Hell, President Eden goes around spreading peace, love and government, but no one even knows how old that Enclave signal really is."

"I am for real," she said. "The Enclave is absolutely, one hundred percent, real. And President Eden _is_ out there, biding his time."

Three Dog nodded, looking thoughtful. "People need to know the truth about President Eden and his goons. If you give me the chance to fight the Good Fight―I'm not going to argue with you. But what the hell are _you_ getting out of this deal? I mean―"

Lillie interrupted him curtly. "I want you to overpower the Enclave radio. That is all. If I get this lunar lander dish you want... you can do that, _right?"_

 _"Incredible,"_ Three Dog said, shaking his head. "This is great. Yeah, I can do that. You get that dish, my signal will be strong enough to be heard all the way to the end of the Capital Wasteland."

"And strong enough to overpower local signals on the same frequency." Lillie stared at him with a hard face.

"Yeah, girl, don't get your panties in a twist," he said, laughing. "Wish I knew why you're so hot to put a bee in the grand old apocalyptic _bonnet,_ though."

Lillie nodded, satisfied with the answer. "Don't worry," she said, shooting a glance behind her at her dad, who hadn't said a word about this whole matter. "I'm sure you'll find out soon enough."

"Well, don't just stand there gawking... go bring that sucker to the Washington Monument so my lady can sing again!" Three Dog made a shooing motion at them, then crossed his arms again.

After a moment of thought, Lillie turned and faced her dad, staring him down. "Dad," she said, softly.

"Lillie―" he started, his eyes on the ground. "...I have to admit I'm not entirely sure what you're doing. What the _purpose_ of this... newfound plot, is."

"Would you like to stay at GNR while Jericho and I retrieve that dish?" she asked him, ignoring his cue. "It'd be safer. Shouldn't take more than a day or two to get around the Mall."

He sighed, rubbed his eyes, and stared at her. "I suppose I'll have to, won't I?" he strained out. "Seeing as I've _no idea_ what's going on."

Lillie rolled her eyes at him. "Honestly, dad, I thought you were smarter than this," she snapped, irritated at his attitude. He should have been able to get all the ideas he needed, from her earlier admission in the pump room.

He shot her such a pained glare, she was forced to look away. "Okay," she muttered, under her breath. "Okay. If VIOLA's signal is jammed, President Eden can't... detonate the plasma charge." She breathed out. "And if they aren't getting any feed, they'll be forced out into the wastes... to look for me, or _whatever_ it is they want to do." She closed her eyes for a moment.

And Colonel Autumn... might come to find her, and _maybe_ she could convince him to work with this plan against Eden―her heart thumped dully against her chest. She _hoped_ he would. But she didn't know what to expect, really.

"Lillie..." He sighed. "I realize that everything that has happened, is not what you want for yourself. I really am sorry that―that I made this happen." He sounded remorseful, but she still didn't want to believe him.

"I shouldn't stay here," he added, after a painful silence. "I should head down to Rivet City and let Madison know that I intend to restart the purifier. If... that _is_ what you are aiming for, correct?"

She opened her eyes to look at him. "Yeah," she said, but she wasn't completely convinced of herself.

Her dad smiled, tiredly, looking over her head. "Then... you know where I'll be, Lillie." He turned and walked away slowly.

He really couldn't do her any more harm, she supposed. Leaving him to his own device wasn't any more dangerous than going with him, was it?

She watched him leaving, before motioning for Jericho to follow her out of the radio station.


	33. XXXIII - Of the Denouement

"Colonel Autumn, I believe you trained the girl _too_ well."

Eden's voice over the intercom was irate, much to Augustus' amusement. He didn't dare show the thought, instead focusing himself on the task ahead of him. On the newly acquired assets.

It had been... easier, than he'd expected, to round up the Vault Dwellers. A few had been executed for poor attitude, but the majority had willingly given themselves up to the Enclave. A lifetime of following the orders of one man―well, it was to his benefit that they were conditioned, already.

The rare few that could be trusted to perform duties among his men would be assigned once their intentions were confirmed. Augustus left that to his subordinates, for now. He had other problems to deal with, more concerning to both him and to Eden.

Problems like what to do with the now-errant child and her overly rebellious father. That sobered Augustus into a frown, staring at Eden's "eye" as it lectured him on her training. He had not anticipated her departure from the Vault being so... _dramatic._

Surely, that was the only word that could describe what had happened. Eden lamented that Lillie had ruined the Vault, her preferred method of persuasion more blunt than a hammer. "A Vault such as that could have been immeasurably _useful,"_ it snapped. "And she's completely _destroyed_ it―"

"If I might speak frankly, Mr. President," Augustus said, tiredly, "it was your instruction that allowed her access to the information she used to 'persuade' the dwellers."

Eden's unblinking red eye considered him for a silent moment, and a dry chuckle finally emitted from the metal facing. "Of course, I did impart to her the necessary information on Vault systems. Thank you for reminding me of that, Colonel. One mustn't allow oneself to fall to hubris."

The light bored into his eyes, painfully so. Augustus nodded, jerkily. "Of course, sir." He paused, then turned a questioning gaze onto Eden. "My men reported that Lillie was observed running away from the Vault," he said, slowly. "She was fired upon, unfortunately. She may well consider herself to have been... written off."

"You saw, as I have, that she was made aware of the back-up plan," Eden began. Augustus winced, inside. Yes, he had seen that. It was... difficult for him to imagine what she must think, knowing that she was a walking time bomb.

The back-up that he had secretly hoped would destroy her was most _decidedly_ a bomb. Her shaking hands when she looked at the x-rays―Eden, of course, delighted in showing that feed to Augustus, in an effort to torment him further. What purpose that served, now that she was a loose wire in the works, he had no clue.

"She still considers herself Enclave, trust me in that. It's all part of my plans, Colonel." Eden made a tutting noise. "I know I haven't been forthcoming in the details. If you will allow me to explain?"

Augustus ground his teeth into each other, once, before he consented to the supercomputer. This... rigmarole that Eden had been instigating was only going to become worse as time went on. If it deigned to release information to him, then that information was what it deemed redundant... or was being imparted to him as a means to provoke him.

As much as he didn't enjoy the thought of allowing himself to become _intentionally_ provoked, he might still have some use for whatever Eden shared... if he dared. And he most certainly _did_ dare.

Eden's voice was matter-of-fact as it detailed its idea. "The eyebots roaming the wastes have brought me information from as far away as the D.C. ruins, though those troublesome Brotherhood imbeciles do still destroy them. The loss of resource is necessary, however. In the D.C. area... there is an opportunity to rectify the disastrous mutagenic effects of this terrible world." Augustus raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Inside of the Jefferson Memorial, a group of inspired scientists built a massive purifier to remove the radiation from the tidal basin. Can you imagine how life might thrive in the wasteland with access to _clean_ water, Colonel?"

He could. It meant no radiation being ingested―less radiation in crops being grown in dirtied soil―and it could prove invaluable to the Enclave if they possessed such a thing. A way to reverse the negative light the wasteland had developed, after their arrival in the Capital Wasteland―

Augustus felt hope, again, and quashed it as quickly as he could. He couldn't afford to let that sort of thing affect his conversations with the damnable computer, much less _try_ to hope, until well after this issue with Lillie had been resolved. She was still―

Augustus pushed that feeling away, as well. Tried to focus himself on what was happening in the here and now.

"...It would certainly improve quality of life, sir," he said, tonelessly.

"Naturally, this resource could have been excitingly useful for the Enclave." The eye burned into his retinas again, and Augustus sighed under his breath. "Roughly eighteen years ago, the purifier was thrown into disarray. Imagine how I felt, if you will, when I discovered that, without so much as a warning, the scientists in the Memorial had _abandoned_ their project. ...It was quite depressing, Colonel."

"Of course, Mr. President," he muttered. Wished the damn thing would get to the point, with this―tension. The whole conversation was starting to feel like a denouement, and he did not want to imagine what Eden might be attempting to reveal.

"Hope was not lost. The head scientist fled into the wastes and I had almost thought him killed. The persons involved were of interest to me far before your men chanced upon them. I had to work very carefully to bring James to our graces." It paused for a brief moment, then continued, "And, of course, his daughter, by extension."

Augustus prided himself in his utter lack of reaction to the implication. He had an inkling of an idea as soon as the thing mentioned the time frame―but he wouldn't allow himself to give Eden any more ammunition against him.

"Is it correct of me to assume that James will attempt to reach this purifier, again, and Lillie might be joining him in a venture to restore it?" Augustus asked, his voice as neutral as he could manage.

"That is why you are my second-in-command," Eden said, as if he were a father proud of his son. The tone made his stomach sink to somewhere around his knees in disgust. "Yes, by my calculations, James should be making his way toward Rivet City with Lillie. The... disruption of the signal notwithstanding―" it cleared its throat. "Lillie is smart enough to provide a temporary solution, but she cannot hope to find a permanent one. The only location in the ruins with the necessary equipment to create a signal―one that would prove sufficient to overpower our own―is that Galaxy News Radio station. My eyebots tell me that the signal of the station recently suffered a drastic reduction in strength." Eden chuckled, meanly. "It may be in Brotherhood control, still, but the sheer amount of super mutants roaming the area keep them from aiding that rebellious deejay Three Dog. Not to mention the relative scarcity of such equipment."

"Would Lillie not―" Augustus began, but stopped himself. If the area was under Brotherhood control, she certainly wouldn't attempt to reach GNR. Even if James was able to talk their way into some kind of truce, Eden's brainwashing wouldn't allow her to suffer the negative opinions of the men at the radio station. She was Enclave, through and through.

If Lillie went to GNR... she would only sow more chaos, as she had at the Vault. He pressed his mouth together. "She stole some equipment from the Vertibird that landed at the Vault," he said, quickly, to cover up his question. "Regular maintenance and repair parts for eyebots, sir. Is that how she created this interference?"

"You are, again, correct," Eden said, still sounding proud. "She created a signal with those parts, and is using it to maintain some stealth." It sighed. "But the power cell that she installed will not last forever, Colonel. She will need to replace it at some point, which means she will need to draw out another Vertibird... or stage something similar."

Augustus' heart sank down to near his stomach, at his knees. "And you intend that we contact her at that point, sir?" he asked, carefully.

"We may not have another chance. Lillie needs to be allowed to feel that she has managed a getaway, for the moment. Once she and James ascertain the condition of the purifier, she will need to return to Raven Rock for instruction―or reconditioning, if that is what is required." Eden almost sounded uncertain of itself.

Augustus' hope raised itself up more strongly at the thought. "Very well, Mr. President."

"For now, dear Colonel, we will observe from a distance." The red light flickered momentarily. "...As well we _can."_

* * *

The first thing Augustus did when he returned to his quarters was drop into the chair at his desk and turn on the terminal sitting there. After a moment of staring blankly at the wall, he lowered his hand to the keys and pulled out one of Lillie's holotapes, loading the tape into the terminal with robotic movements.

Once the information had been loaded, he sought out a specific phrase that had been in the back of his mind since the revelation of―

Her birth. James and Lillie were _not_ of the Vault, as he had assumed. He was almost grateful for that, somehow. But he was also angered. Angered in that not only had James kept that information―expected the man should, his spirit being so bound by ire for the Enclave―but also angry that Eden had not seen fit to reveal the truth until now.

Until there was absolutely no way he could act on that information. The Vault dwellers were in Enclave control, the Vault itself incapable of sustaining life and thus unlikely to be explored for confirmation of this farce. Lillie... was in the wastes, somewhere, her only indication of location being the occasional still frame tainted by so much static that the best guess was only that. A guess.

If Eden no longer needed him to feel―whatever he had, for the girl―then he was expected to reverse his softer attitude for her. Eden wanted him angry at James and Lillie. So he would be more tractable in retrieving her from the wastes, perhaps.

He was angry, but he didn't hold any of that anger for her. Anger at James for his lie―anger at Eden for withholding that information as part of its plot to cause him to feel for her―

But Lillie didn't _know_ she hadn't come from the Vault. Augustus was fairly certain she'd never been in on the act; Eden's manipulation of her for Enclave purposes would have been far easier if she believed she was... pure human stock.

If she knew _now?_

Augustus rubbed his eyes and scanned the poem for the lines he'd been thinking about. After reading them, he sat back in the chair and felt his breast pocket for the holotape his father had left him.

A slow smile came across his face. He... had placed his trust in the girl. And now, that felt like one of the best decisions he'd made in his long life.

* * *

 _Smile―for the fetter'd eagle breaks his chain,  
And higher worlds than this are his again._

"The Age of Bronze" by Lord George Gordon Byron


	34. XXXIV - Of the Deceit

"How come you never let me tell my story," Jericho was saying, as they turned a corner inside the Museum. "To that Overseer prick."

Lillie frowned, squinting into the darkness. At this point, she would almost prefer being _blind_ to the static. Her head was aching so badly―

"That was just to keep you busy," she muttered, grumpily. "So you didn't get in the middle of my talking to people."

Jericho stopped short with a crunching noise, and grumbled. "You fuckin' kiddin' me?" he asked, almost incredulously.

Lillie sighed and shook her head. "You're a spy, Jericho," she said, shooting him a dirty look. "You think I'd really trust you with my plans?"

"Fuck this bu―" Jericho put his rifle across his shoulder, and stood there staring at her with an angry look on his face. "No, you little bitch, I didn't think you were that fuckin' _stupid."_

Lillie could care less what the man thought, right now. She could barely see him―the static in her vision was still pretty bad―but she could pick out _some_ details. And if she couldn't see very well―neither could President Eden. Even if she could barely see to shoot straight―

"Well, I'm sorry," she snapped back. "But that's the truth. I'm trying to trust you now, you know―"

"Fuck you _and_ your fuckin' dad. I'm _done."_ He glared at her, crossing his arms. "I can go back to Megaton and get paid any fuckin' time I want."

That wasn't going to work for her plan. Lillie jerked her hand up and pushed the Colonel's 10mm pistol into his chin. "Is that so?" she asked, trying to intimidate him.

"You and your goddamn attitude," he snapped, refusing to back down from the threat. "C'mon, then. Shoot me. Go get that fuckin' dish by _yourself._ See if I give a shit."

"You think I need you around?!" she lied, pushing the barrel harder into his skin. "I don't need you to do this―"

Jericho's eyes narrowed and in a split second he'd removed the pistol from under his chin, pushed her toward the railing and had her by one wrist and a hand on her hip, leaning her over the edge of the third floor.

"You sure about that?" he asked, critically. "You ain't as _hard_ as you used to be."

"I'm still in charge―" she protested, pushing herself back toward him and away from the gaping maw of the shuttle display.

"Yeah," Jericho said, his hands gripping her tighter. "And I'm the queen of fuckin' Sheba." He stared at her with a mean look on his face for a second, then pulled her backward into him, moving away from the railing. "You can't lie for shit, you stupid―"

Lillie righted herself, moving to the wall and bumping into it unintentionally. "So what," she muttered. Her eyes dropped to the static-filled sight of her hands, still holding Colonel Autumn's pistol―

"So you need to shut up. Stop treatin' me like I'm some kind of fuckin' errand boy," he said, grabbing her upper arm and pulling her along the railing to the doorway they'd been heading for. "I ain't your goddamn _dog."_

"How am I supposed to trust y―" she started, trying to keep up.

"What did I just fuckin' _say―"_ he snapped, throwing her forward roughly with one arm.

"Jericho!" she shrieked, as she stumbled into a hallway and over a bucket, almost falling flat on her face. If she fell and broke the lenses, it would _matter_ if they got the dish―

 _"Come out, human!"_ a voice in the distance shouted, the familiar deep sound of the super mutants echoing through the place.

Lillie froze in place, staring into the static-filled gloom with wide eyes. Jericho swore, and grabbed her up from the floor by the back of her armor. "How about we just agree to disagree and get the fuck outta here," he hissed in her ear, as he righted her.

 _"Fine,"_ she spat, moving down the hallway with him.

* * *

About three hours. That was how long it took Jericho and Lillie to get in, get the dish, and get out. It might not have taken so long if Jericho hadn't gotten himself shot in the stomach.

Lillie put the Colonel's pistol away and dropped to her knees, pressing one hand into Jericho's stomach as he bled profusely through the leather. He was coughing and moaning, tapping his head against the hallway wall, his hand twitching on his rifle and muttering to himself.

She squinted as she injected him with a stimpak, eyeing the hole the bullet had made in the leather. "You'll probably live," she murmured, keeping pressure on the area.

"Prob'ly, fuck," he muttered, and put his hand on top of hers, pressing harder into his stomach. She glanced up to see him staring at her with nearly closed eyes.

Lillie frowned. "Just let the stimpak work―"

"Ain't you a doctor's kid," he grumbled, his hand trembling over hers.

"Yes," she answered, calmly, "but that doesn't mean I know what to do when someone gets hurt." She looked away from the sight and waited for the bleeding to stop.

He'd backed up toward the wall when he took the bullet to his stomach, while she took out the super mutant responsible, then slid down onto the floor. The sheer amount of blood coming from his wound was enough to alarm her, and the way he was acting―

"Jericho," she said, snapping her free hand in front of his face. "Stay with me."

He blinked, his glazed eyes focusing. "I ain't dead yet," he said, fingers tightening on hers.

"Good." Lillie didn't want to admit it, but she _did_ need the surly jerk to protect her―from what she couldn't see, from the surprise attacks. She supposed that was why he'd gotten himself hurt, this time.

Jericho coughed, violently, spitting up a glob of mucus and blood. He closed his eyes and groaned, leaning back onto the wall as she applied another stimpak.

"You're really sick, Jericho," she said, making a face.

"Been doin' that for years," he answered. "So _what."_

"Coughing up blood is a really bad thing to do," she went on, almost ignoring him.

"Yeah, well," he muttered, and his hand dropped from hers to the floor. "Least I'm not fuckin' blind."

Her head snapped up, eyes narrowing at him. "What―" she started.

Jericho chuckled and pushed himself upward, getting up to his knees without having to lean on the wall. "Them fuckin'―" he wheezed a little, bending over, then righted himself. "Things in your eyes." He coughed, and covered his mouth for a brief second, grimacing.

"I'm not deathly _ill,"_ she snapped back. "You need a doctor, Jericho."

Jericho laughed and winced in pain, holding his stomach still. "Fuck," he muttered, before straightening up. "I been to the goddamn doctor. You know what he told me?"

"No," she answered, her hand hovering over his upper arm, unsure whether or not she should help him.

"Told me I should be grateful I lived sixty fuckin' years, even," Jericho said, turning his head and lifting his rifle.

"Really?" she asked. Only because she was curious. Every new bit of his life... was like reading a book, but he was _real._ And real was...

She was reminded of the Velveteen Rabbit, all of a sudden. Her own life hadn't been Real until she left the "garden", like the Rabbit. If Jericho was her forest fairy―she cringed at the thought. Maybe being filled with sawdust wasn't _that_ bad...

But she _wasn't_ a plaything. That, she promised herself. All of this―was to get away from the person wanting to play with her, to stop the manipulation. After... after, she could figure out what to do. Until then―

"Sixty-five," Jericho said, sourly. "Sixty-five fuckin' years. You got a whole goddamn life of this shit ahead of you."

"...I'm impressed," she said, shooting him a small smile. "You're tougher than I thought."

"Oh, fuck you, kid," he snarled, limping forward a few steps. Stood up straighter and cracked his neck. "Just like your fuckin' dad, not believing shit."

Lillie's temper flared. "I'm not my dad," she stated, flatly. "I don't lie to people to get my way."

"Fuckin' stupid," he said, turning his head to stare at her. "Ain't no one gonna tell you the whole truth, kid."

"I am aware of that," she said, bristling at his insult. "But I have standards, Jericho. Lowering myself to the level of ingrates is not one of them."

"Can we get the fuck outta here," he groaned, holding his stomach. "I ain't like to let some ugly bastard sneak up on us while you preach."

Lillie said nothing more, but moved further into the Museum. Thought about integrity―something President Eden had been big on her maintaining. He couldn't bother to let her in on all the details, though.

She wasn't lying. Just... omitting what needed to be said. That still counted for something.

 _Didn't_ it?

* * *

Lillie was sitting in a corner of the radio station, cradling her makeshift eyebot and staring at the power cell within it. The deejay had invited her to stay the night, recover her senses. She didn't think she'd looked that bushed. But she was. Having a safe place to sleep was something she'd taken for _granted,_ before.

Now it was a pleasure she intended to enjoy, even if her company was lacking. After the running from the Vault... after dealing with the static for so long, after fighting with Jericho―

God only knew why the man was picking fights with her now, but she suspected he was reveling in her inability to properly defend herself. Pushing his limit, trying to figure out how much he could get away with. He'd also not liked how vulnerable he'd been when he was injured.

Or her attitude toward him. She'd... _tried_ to show him respect. But he didn't seem to want her respect. But she did listen to what he said. Had been thinking it over.

Moriarty said the same, about the lying. That it was a part of life, and she shouldn't let it get to her. Should expect that people weren't going to be truthful because it served no purpose. Jericho saying it... made it sound more harsh, but he was echoing the sentiment.

She'd expected both men had lived as long as they had simply by being tough or cunning, or both. Jericho was certainly smarter than she gave him credit for, showing an ability to command a situation without giving quarter. She respected that, because it reminded her of Colonel Autumn.

Lillie sighed, and ran her hands over the carapace of the eyebot, feeling the humming of the power cell within. Eyebots operated on a single rechargeable cell. It wouldn't last very long―and if Three Dog couldn't get his station to overpower the Enclave one, soon...

She closed her eyes, and tried not to imagine what would happen to her if she was forced to return to Raven Rock. She'd thought she was a traitor, before, for attacking Colonel Autumn and fleeing. This... felt more serious, than that, because she had actively engaged in the deception rather than merely swept up into an existing intrigue.

Jericho poked his head around a wall, mumbling something at her, distracting her from her thoughts. "What?" she asked, focusing on him.

He was nursing a bottle of booze―probably not his first one, either, based on how strongly he smelled when he flopped down on the dingy mattress beside her. Lillie crinkled her nose, scooting away from him with a quick motion. She didn't particularly _want_ to deal with him. The man was drunk―and she didn't want to find out if he was as combative when drunk as he was when _sober._

But... if Jericho was the only person she could really rely on...

"Hey," she said, softly, staring at him. "Can you... teach me how to lie?"

Jericho coughed, then started laughing, derisively. It was a long time before he sighed in relief, fixed a bloodshot eye on her, and nodded. "Yeah, alright, kid."

Lillie gave him the best smile she could, and sighed to herself.

Every hero needed a mentor... _right?_


	35. XXXV - Of the Demarcation

He wasn't surprised Madison was in Rivet City. She may have been tough as nails on the outside, but she always had preferred working in enclosed spaces.

He could tell that she'd tried to make something of their research. The Science Lab was a new addition to the old tub, but not an unwelcome sight to him. He could see improvement to the equipment, improvements that he and Madison and Catherine had worked together to develop.

But he wasn't there to sight-see. "Madison," James said, as he approached her.

"James!" she said, startled into dropping the clipboard she was holding. She stared at him for a moment as if she couldn't truly believe that it _was_ him, standing in front of her.

He was tired. Exhausted, really. After running from the Vault, trying to wrap his head around this new plan that Lillie was doing, wondering if she was turning against the Enclave and not believing she'd ever work for better goals than those of that tyrannical supercomputer―and having Jericho dissuade her from being _too_ interested in what raiders did for fun―it was utterly exhausting, doing so much thinking. James didn't believe he'd ever been this tired, even when he and Lillie were almost lost to the wastes.

He had yet to mentally address any issues relating to the purifier. It wasn't operational and never had been, even though he and Catherine had tried so hard to complete it prior to Lillie's birth. He hadn't had much time to dedicate to the matter, during his time in Raven Rock.

But what time he'd had, he'd utilized _effectively._ That was the only reason he'd sought Madison out.

He hadn't even had the time to think on how he'd convince Madison to return. Or to provide the necessary staff, so that the project could continue. It wasn't going to be easy. Madison was... well the woman hadn't exactly been pleasant to work with, at times.

She certainly didn't look very pleased to see him. "I thought I'd never see you, again," she said, retrieving and placing the clipboard onto a table. "What are you doing _here?"_

"We're finishing Project Purity," he said, as evenly as he could. He knew there was bad blood about the purifier―memories brought up to the surface reminded him that he'd left behind a rather irritated and not-at-all happy team of scientists. That had led to a bad decision.

"But―" Madison blinked in confusion. "What's going on?" She considered him with a concerned face. "Where's..."

"All in due time, Madison." James breathed out, then launched into a quick debriefing of the situation. Left out his imprisonment by the Enclave, for the moment. Informed her that he was intent to travel to the Memorial, assess the condition of the purifier. "I found the missing component," he added, as Madison watched him with a guarded face.

She sighed, and lowered her arms. "James... too much time has passed," she said. "There's no way we could make the project work again."

"This will solve the problems we faced before, Madison," he answered. "Every time we tried large-scale solutions, it failed. The problem wasn't the science, it was the equi―"

"Look, I don't want to be harsh, but I have problems of my own," she snapped. "After you left, the Brotherhood didn't think the project was worth their time. You abandoned it and you abandoned _us,_ when you left." She gestured briefly at the Science Lab, and narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't have the resources to support you or _this...foolish_ endeavor."

"It will work, and I can prove it," he replied, not backing down. "You remember, we were researching Vaults? We needed better equipment to work with. After I left, I came across more information. The G.E.C.K., Madison―I was right. If we can find one, we can adapt it for use with the purifiers."

"Do you really think that, James?" she asked him, annoyed. "It sounds too good to be true."

"Of course―I wouldn't be here if I thought there wasn't a chance―" He winced at the choice of words. She gave him a look that he recognized, even after so many years of being apart.

It was comforting to know that neither he, nor she, had changed very much, even as dramatic as their lives must have been. His might have won the contest, should it be held, but Madison had always been a straight edge. Catherine had loved her dearly for that determined attitude.

James sighed to himself. "Look, Madison... I know that my leaving wasn't the best decision to make." He grimaced a little as he spoke, his personal knowledge of his situation reminding him _just_ how awful that decision had been. "I had no idea that the whole project would be abandoned. If it makes you feel better, I wish I _hadn't_ left."

Hopefully he sounded rueful enough that she forgave him. Madison was his last chance at getting the purifier up and running.

She pursed her mouth at him, and nodded. "Fine. I'll believe that you're sorry. But the project wasn't _going_ anywhere. We had too many problems to handle―" She crossed her arms and stared at him, almost glaring. "And how do you know the equipment hasn't been irreparably _damaged?_ It's sat alone for almost 18 years!"

James set his mouth and nodded. "I understand your concerns, I really do... but now that I actually know how to make it work, I can't walk away. If it's damaged, we can repair it. We have to, Madison. _Catherine_ deserves that much respect."

The woman looked away for a moment, her face falling. "Yes," she said. She was quiet for a long moment, then glanced back at him with a piercing look. "Where _is_ Lillie, James?"

James cast his eyes downward. "She will join us when she is done with her errand," he said, quietly.

Madison blinked slowly at him when he looked back up, and sighed. "Why don't you sit down and tell me how you expect this will work."

James took the chair offered to him.

* * *

Lillie made her way to Rivet City after another day, and he waited for her. Not because he intended for her to follow through on any plan he might have offered to her, and certainly not because he wanted her to be there; after all she had done, he knew that he would rather see this through on his own. Lillie could appreciate the concept of the purifier, but she might still intend to claim it for Enclave purpose.

He would rather see Catherine's dream _destroyed_ before he would allow that to happen.

He might have done poorly by raising their daughter, but he would finish the project for Catherine. _God,_ he wished Catherine could have been there for Lillie. Everything that had happened―Catherine would have kept Lillie from turning into...

He'd screwed up too much in their lives. It would have been better to perish than to allow himself to be captured by the Enclave, as he had. He knew that now.

Once again, hindsight was crystal clear. Like the waters of life, that Catherine had dreamed about. _How... poetic._

Lillie stomped into the Science Lab, the older man still following her. Her combat armor was battered and she was missing an arm piece, her face bruised and hands bloodied. Jericho appeared more or less himself. James wondered if the man actually bathed, or if he simply existed in a state of grime that all other grime refused to come _near._

"What's the plan?" she asked, appearing fairly happy with herself.

He considered Lillie for a moment, before addressing her. She looked tired, but she was also wearing a smile, as she put her hands on her hips and stared down in his general direction.

"Did you manage to work something out?" he asked her.

"I'm as much blind as Jericho smells," she said. Her nose crinkled up as she spoke. Jericho grunted and rolled his eyes at her.

James could hear the Pip-Boy on her wrist making noise. The low sounds of music and Three Dog's chatter came through the air. He stared at Lillie, then sighed. She'd lied, but GNR _was_ up and running better than it had been.

"What's next?" she asked, her eyes moving upward but not focused on him.

"We need to get to Project Purity. The computer there will have more information, and we need to make sure it hasn't been overrun."

"Overrun?" Lillie tilted her head slightly.

"I... realize that, in your state, you won't be able to stop a threat. But there was a significant Super Mutant presence in the area, before." James kept his eyes on hers, watching her carefully. "I hate to ask you to put yourself into harm's way..."

"Okay," she said, smiling in a happy way. "Jericho and me got this, no problem."

"Let's go, then," he said, quietly, and stood up.

"I fuckin' _hate_ mutants," Jericho muttered, picking his nose. James shot him a disgusted look before he turned to let Madison know that they were ready to leave.

He couldn't even bring himself to wonder why Lillie was lying, now.

* * *

"I need you to go in and make sure that it's safe for Doctor Li and her crew," James told Lillie, once they'd arrived at the memorial.

"I'll be right back," she told him, and turned toward the door.

James watched her walking away, saw how unsteady her steps were. She was... definitely having trouble seeing, but he wasn't sure. Part of him had come to the conclusion she'd lied about being able to see―

Maybe she'd been referring to Jericho. James kept his eye on her back, noticing the foul-mouthed man walking behind her. She was not being kept in good company, if that was the case. If she was trying to lure James into thinking her opinion of the ex-raider was poor.

How appropriate, for her to be thrust into another sordid educational opportunity. Like she had been taught by Eden, her traveling with Jericho was yet another way of learning to be... _terrible._

The thought actually _hurt_ him. He'd thought her antics could no longer affect him, but... her wobbling steps reminded him of how vulnerable she'd been, as a baby. To _see_ her as a child, the child that he'd always remembered her as, but to _know_ that she was no longer immature. Her mind was so much different than his―shaped differently, molded into something far worse by that demented mind inside of Raven Rock.

Her innocence had been stripped away from her. She'd grown up without him and had changed from a sensitive soul to a terrible example of what the wasteland made of people. Everyone out for themselves. Lying, killing... lives destroyed, for what was perceived as a greater purpose―

Lillie had become someone who was willing to sacrifice others to get her way, just like Eden. Catherine had sacrificed herself, her time, her science, to bring the opposite back to the Capital. Where _her_ goals were for the common good, Lillie's were...

James rubbed his eyes and watched Lillie moving into the memorial. She was the product of his bad decision and although he had hoped she would not hang onto the ideals of the Enclave, she clearly had. Even when those ideals were in question, she _still_ preferred them over his attempts to guide her.

The threat of the Enclave taking the purifier from them loomed over him like the sword of Damocles. He could almost hear the droning sound of Vertibirds in the distance. Looked around the area to reassure himself that it wasn't real―

 _Catherine, I wish that everything had happened differently,_ he thought. _As it is..._

Even now that her dream was closer to being completed than it ever had been, he didn't know if he could believe that it _would_ happen.

All he could do was _try_ to hope.


	36. XXXVI - Of the Display

Note: I want to say this is a placeholder, but I need to move this plot. This chapter is, honestly, mostly filler. It'll get exciting _real_ soon.

* * *

"You gotta stop doin' that thing," Jericho said, holding up his rifle. His foot was propped up on the back of a Super Mutant, dead on the floor, as Lillie made her way toward a wall.

She put her fingers onto the cracked surface, and turned her head in his direction. "Doing what thing?" she said, her eyes about two feet to the left of him.

"That fuckin' nose thing you're doin'. When you lie." Jericho lifted his foot and brought it down hard, on the back of the mutant's head. Damn things twitching after dying, shit, made him nervous. _Fuckin' mutants._

She frowned, and moved along the wall, feeling for the doorway. "Didn't know I was," she said, quietly. Her head turned back to the door, and she grabbed the knob.

"Your dad knew you was lying," he added, walking along behind her, slowly. She walked like a drunk, wobbling all over the damn place. "Christ, maybe you _should_ turn off the damn radio. 'Least then you'll be able to see."

"Well," Lillie said, holding the railing and moving down the stairs more confidently, "if I did that, you know what's going to happen."

"Yeah, but you said―" he grabbed the back of her armor before she fell on the last step. She pushed herself upright from her bent position. "You said you _wanted_ them assholes to show up."

"I did," she admitted, one hand moving to pull out her pistol. She held it up after making sure the clip was loaded, and turned herself slightly. "But not yet. First we make sure _this_ is ready to go. Then..." she sighed, and pulled herself forward by the edge of another doorway.

"Fuckin' stinks in here," Jericho muttered, moving along with her as she began to explore the room.

"That's what dead things do," she whispered, moving into another hallway. She dropped to a crouch and took a cautious step.

"You know what I don't get," he added, not willing to force his knees into a crouch. Was too old for that bullshit, anyway. And hell... they always saw him coming, in the past. He grinned a little.

"What I don't get is you tellin' papa I smell. How the fuck is that a lie?" He stared down at the yellow hair, the back of her head about thigh-level.

Lillie moved one hand up to her mouth in a shushing gesture. He listened, but all he could hear was dripping water and a low hum from some kind of generator. She moved across the hallway, slowly, and held her head near another doorway. After a moment, she gestured with her pistol for him to shoot into the room.

Well, she was right, one of the big ugly bastards was right there. "How the hell you hearin' that," he wondered.

"Not very easily, if you keep talking," she grumbled, shooting a look in his direction. "Come on, jerk."

"Jerk," he mocked, grinning slyly. "Goddamn. I oughta teach you to talk shit, too."

"Just because I don't use your bastardized version of English doesn't mean I'm less of a _threat,"_ she started, her voice serious. "Stop being an asshole."

Jericho chuckled, following behind her. "Might like you a little more if you didn't act so fuckin' hoity-toity."

"Shush," she said. "There's more mutants ahead."

After clearing the mutants from the basement, Jericho grabbed the chain link fence separating the upper level from the open space to the floor below. Stared down into the water and smoked a cigarette, eyeballing the drop.

"Can we please go now," Lillie said, sounding annoyed. "There's a whole lot of things I want to do today, but hanging out in this nasty basement is _not_ one of them."

"Calm your tits, I'm thinkin'," he answered, without looking at her.

"Oh," she said, like that answered _everything._ "You need some med-x for the pain?"

"Hardy fuckin' har har," he grumbled, but he was grinning.

"I'm learning," she sniped back. "From the best, even."

His head swelled up again. Remembered how he'd felt when he first started talking to her. Her and that damn smile she'd given him...

"See? That's what I like to see," he said, dropping the cigarette through the fencing and watching it hit the water below, hissing. "You lost some of that shit, after finding your daddy."

"I don't really want to talk―" she started, huffing and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, so what?" he said, turning to look at her. "Makin' me talk about the shit I don't wanna. You ain't been the _same_ since he showed up. Did just fine when we wasn't around him."

Lillie scoffed and looked away. "Whatever, Jericho," she muttered. "It's none of your business."

"Yeah, I thought so," he said. "Little baby flower, all growed up." He coughed and spat on the floor. "Jesus, you're so fuckin' stupid, doin' all this shit for him, for free even."

"Don't you even," she said, glaring in his direction. "Anything I do here, it's for Colonel―" she snapped her mouth shut, colored, and looked down at the floor.

He saw that, but didn't comment. Little girl was all bothered about this Colonel fella. He'd heard her saying all that shit about it, back in the Vault jail. Couldn't imagine what type of man would get _her_ all flustered. Her, all "beat your ass in the morning instead of coffee" and playing at being coy. All mind games and fuckin' idolizing smiles.

Heh, maybe it was the fucking uniform. He'd seen that a few times, when some bitch raider took down a soldier and stole his gear. For a good fuck... yeah, he'd played pretend, just like Lillie was, a couple times.

"This fuckin' Enclave bullshit is gonna get you killed," he said, staring at her. _"I_ ain't ever sworn no fuckin' allegiance."

"Why do you give a shit," she said, but the curse fell flat in her voice.

"Because, kid," he said, pushing himself away from the fencing. "Like I said, I like ya."

Lillie sighed, lowering her arms. "Well," she said, sounding dejected. "You know how it is. You get in with people and you... can't leave easy."

Yeah, he knew. Remembered what happened when he got caught out. He'd _literally_ dragged his bloodied ass through those gates at Megaton, only to be held up by Simms and questioned while his fucking intestines were threatening to spill. Only reason he'd survived was fucking goodwill... and the sack of caps he'd stolen.

She thumbed her head where she had all those scars and blinked into the dark room. "I don't know that I want to leave, though," she said.

"Even after all that shit your dad said?" he asked, gauging her reaction.

She made a frustrated noise. "I wish he'd stayed dead," she mumbled, snottily.

Jericho laughed, in spite of the seriousness of the conversation. Stupid kid, that's all she was. Had no fucking clue how good she had it. Knowing her dad wasn't gonna kill her, or _worse―_ Jericho shook his head at her.

"C'mon," he said, moving toward the door. "Think the smell's getting to me."

* * *

Reached the upstairs of the place only to be told to go back down to the basement, anyway. He grumbled under his breath and ignored the looks her dad was shooting at him. Parked his ass on the steps leading up to the controls in the rotunda, and smoked another cigarette as Lillie made her way through the sub levels.

"I expect you to be less crude, if I'm paying you," James said, his attitude just as snotty as Lillie's was.

"Yeah, and I fuckin' expect to actually _get_ paid," he muttered back.

James shut his fat mouth then, and kept puttering about inside of that control room. Some nice-looking woman with him, doing assistant stuff. Jericho watched her walking around, wondering.

Sober again. Kept shit better in his head when he was, no argument there. When Lillie asked him to teach her how to lie, she'd looked so damn innocent his booze-fried brain just lost it.

Once he'd sobered up, he knew it was gonna be an uphill battle. Wished he hadn't told her yes. Christ, but she was shit for lying. Really. Even her trying to say she didn't need him around―that damn nose wiggle she did, like she was some kind of pretty-ass mole rat. Well, she wasn't no mole-rat, but she was pretty and he was bored as fuck back in Megaton. Pretty sure she knew he wasn't leaving any time soon.

She wasn't kidding, though. Did need to be taught. Didn't know if he was the right kind of teacher she needed. But she _did_ need him to watch out for her ass. Right now she was wondering around blindly through the basement, stopping at every damn intercom and didn't her daddy give him a nice shit-filled look every time it sounded off.

Screw the man, Jericho was old. Older than all of the people in the damn building, even. Lillie was young and if she fell down, her knee bones weren't gonna drum a beat against each other. She _was_ gonna fall down a couple times, too, didn't seem like she was all that good at actually _being_ blind.

He'd thought she could see better than she did, but he'd gotten her over that railing pretty quick. That one was almost kinda disappointing, now that he thought about it.

Expected she was gonna put him flat on his ass. She didn't. She really was trusting him, like she said. Kinda... hell, no kinda, just _was._ He was _flattered._ All them flirty comments she made trying to make him feel big and badass, but when she couldn't hack it no more he finally felt the realness of her compliments.

Before, he could give a shit about her way of talking. She didn't give him a good reason to stay until she leveled with him about not knowing the rules of the game. After that, her treating him all fair and square, like... he snorted, then coughed and hacked up blood again. Like her making plans and letting him in on them, like he was in the know, instead of the "come here, do this" shit that Moriarty always tried.

Stared at the oozing spit on the metal stair step and sighed. She actually sounded worried about him, too, when he got shot. She wasn't worried about him having a hole in his gut either. Was worried about him being sick, coughing up blood.

Never met no one that wanted to _talk_ to him about that. Everyone else turned their head or pretended it wasn't happening. Even that dumbass Doc Church wasn't hot on telling him the truth. That, what he'd told Lillie, that was the fuckin' truth through and through.

"When she gets back, I'll need her to clear one of the pipes," James said, interrupting his thoughts. "You'll have to go with her, there's a big drop in there and I don't want her hitting her head on anything―"

"Yeah, alright," Jericho said. "Stop treatin' me like some kind of fuckin' babysitter."

James fixed him with a look like Simms used to give him. One of those, "you mind your shit" kind of looks. Jericho rolled his eyes at him and looked away, ignoring him.

Now he wondered why Lillie wanted James to stay dead. Implied the man had died, before. He wasn't, but who knew. Looked healthy enough.

When she came to the rotunda, Jericho pushed her back out the door and down through the place. "You think about what I said?" he asked her.

She stumbled on the rubble in the hallway, but pinched in her face. "Which part?" she asked, curious.

"That Enclave bullshit," he said, moving to open the pipe. "Getting out of the racket."

"Well..." she "hmm"ed a little. "I'll have an answer for that in about two or three minutes."

He glanced back at her and saw her turn off the radio on her Pip-Boy, and rolled his eyes. Whatever her plan _was_ with them fucks... it was about to get turned up hot.

Shit, though. It was still a lot more interesting than _Megaton._


	37. XXXVII - Of the Destruction

Note: While I had hoped to extend this part until chapter 40, I realized that wasn't possible.

Reference is from Childe Harold's Pilgrimage. (minor edits, sorry I didn't catch that)

* * *

The Vertibird set down near to the purifier. Augustus stepped out of the aircraft before the engine was shut down, striding away from it and toward the memorial. He stared at the building, his eyes narrowed and eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

Just what game _was_ Lillie playing at?

The signal strength of GNR had been rectified―boosted, even. This was of concern for Eden, naturally. The radio signal was now playing over the Enclave signal, forcing his men to switch frequencies for the purpose of maintaining contact. As annoying as that had proven to be―

The development was also infuriating in that it allowed the deejay to spew anti-Enclave rhetoric across the entire Capital Wasteland. It was fairly obvious to him that Lillie was the cause―the radio feed to VIOLA was hampered significantly, rendering her totally blind and disabling the link to the plasma charge.

She was smart. But not smart _enough,_ he feared.

His fears were especially justified when, after the signal had been tampered with, his men reported that the feed had reinstated itself. Lillie _should_ have left the interference in place, however she was managing herself―being blind might have been a discomfort to her and cause her enormous trouble, but she knew if the signal was allowed to reach Raven Rock she would be found.

This... whatever plan that she was enacting, was disturbing. Allowing for herself to be potentially captured, allowing for Eden to be aware of her location and giving the Enclave a fair idea of what condition the purifier was in, was disturbing.

He trusted that she knew what she was doing. But he was afraid she did _not._

Augustus ran a hand over his face for a brief second before assessing the situation and giving orders.

The civilian presence in the building undoubtedly included the scientists from Rivet City. Eden had debriefed him as quickly as it could, about the situation. It saw no reason James would not have re-established contact with the others; those who had worked with him, previously, would be inherent to restoring the purifier to working condition.

Augustus sent soldiers to sweep the area. Anyone who had knowledge of the purifier would be immeasurably valuable to their goal.

It stung him that he had to specifically order his men to detain Lillie, but not to harm her. Eden's idea, not his, to bring her back into the fold. Without a detailed account of what she was enacting, he could not make any plans of his own. Even to aid her, in what he deemed a confusing but interesting attempt to... prove her value to the Enclave.

Augustus knew that she would fight.

But she would only harm _herself,_ when she did so.

He sighed to himself, as he entered the building.

* * *

The acquisition was fairly routine, all things considered. The men searched the upper level, discovered the exclusiveness of the building, and moved ahead of him into the rotunda. It was simple enough to secure the rotunda and all persons within it.

James was there, waiting for him with arms crossed over his chest. He held no expression whatsoever on his face, staring at the soldiers and Augustus as they moved to occupy the room. Lillie was not present; where she could possibly be, he had no idea.

The doctor and his daughter had always been the cause of trouble for him, regardless of the variety it came in. He ignored the absence of the girl and considered the man as he stood near the rapidly closing door panel of Project Purity's control room.

Their interactions, in the past, had not been amicable. The only matter that the two men could or even _would_ agree on, had been Lillie, and even then it was subject to her particular actions at the time. With no love lost for each other's attitude or ideals, this... was going to be a _difficult_ conversation.

Even more difficult in that James was more than likely aware of the Enclave's intent to secure the purifier, and in that Lillie was now facing a deliberate threat. He must know that she would be reintegrated, and reused for other purpose.

Neither one of the men enjoyed that idea, Augustus knew. He had wished that James was more effective in getting Lillie out of the clutches of the supercomputer. Lillie had, however, brought into play her own brand of teenage stubbornness, and utilized it to produce vague results. The only benefit that the Colonel could see, to her unprecedented actions in the wastes, was that Eden was temporarily confused.

Perhaps that was her goal. In this strange game she had started, causing consternation for everyone involved could very well lend her an element of surprise. To strike against what she knew to be an enemy―he recalled his conversation with her, on that matter.

If she intended to strike against Eden she must do so, _soon._ There was a limit to how long it would remain put out by her actions, and now that the signal to the plasma charge had been reinstated―

Augustus' teeth ground together in his mouth, once, before he stilled himself.

"You're early," James observed, quietly. "Lillie must have tipped you off. I can't say that I'm surprised."

He stared at the man. The hate he had contained for James, not so long ago, hadn't dissolved with his attempt to maintain his sanity against Eden's manipulation. It was easier, honestly, to engage in this takeover with that hate still intact.

He _was_ still a soldier. Orders were orders. This ridiculous show of rebellion would be quashed, and James would submit.

"That is of no concern to you," he said, as calmly as he could. In a firmer voice, he added, "By authority of the President, this facility is now under United States government control. You will turn over all materials related to this project."

James' eyes narrowed at him, his face growing hard. "And if I refuse to do so?" he asked, sharply.

"The consequence for disobedience is, as it was and always has been, execution," Augustus said, though he didn't wish for the man to throw himself so willingly onto his out-thrust sword.

God forbid the man acknowledge that his involvement with the purifier was preferable, considering he'd been engaged in similar work during his time in Raven Rock and his own history with the project. And Lillie _would_ be found and contained. Too much was at stake for either man to play the fool, now.

He glared at James. "You are hereby instructed to immediately hand over all materials related to the purifier. I don't want to repeat myself, doctor."

"The Enclave has no authority, here," James stated, lifting his head and looking Augustus directly in the eyes. "This is a private facility, Colonel."

Augustus breathed out, remembering precisely _why_ he'd wanted to put a bullet through the man's head in the first place. He put his hands behind his back and stood a little straighter, glancing to his left at the civilian scientist inside the control room.

"The purifier is not operational," James added, his voice lowering. "It never has been. I'm afraid you're wasting your time."

"I've found, doctor, that when you are involved, my time is always wasted," Augustus snapped. "You _will_ stand down and you _will_ give over control of this facility to the Enclave."

"Colonel, I assure you that this facility will not _function!"_ James stared him down. "I'm sorry, but―"

Augustus sighed impatiently, pulled his sidearm, and shot the woman standing to his left. A cry sounded from the outside of the room. He holstered the weapon and turned back to James, as the man stood shocked.

The gesture was not one he would have ordinarily made. Killing the woman―who might have been useful to the operation of the purifier―was distasteful to him. There was not much option for him, however, in this moment. If James did not obey, he would be forced to execute _him._

He _wanted_ to kill the man. Unfortunately, his orders were clear. Unless his hand was forced, Eden wanted the doctor alive.

"I suggest you comply immediately, doctor," Augustus said. "Are we _clear?"_

"Yes," James said, bitterly. _"Colonel._ I'll do what you want."

"Then you will aid us in making this facility operational, _at once,"_ he said. "There will be no more need for violence, if you assist the Enclave."

"Give me a few moments to bring the system online," James said. He turned and tapped a few keys on the control panel behind him.

It took longer than he would have expected. As he stood, staring at James' back and waiting for the man to fulfill his obligation, a loud noise echoed behind him. Someone was pounding on the door panel, repeatedly, and a piercing shriek met his ears.

Lillie was shouting through the door. Augustus closed his eyes and tilted his head down. He refused to acknowledge her, just yet. James was armed, still; he could see the weapon at his side and with the confirmation of his daughter being outside of the door, he doubted that the man would hesitate in shooting him.

He also was unsure if he could stop the sinking feeling in his stomach, or maintain his composure, if he were to face the girl. The thoughts that he'd ignored for the last few weeks had immediately jumped out of hiding at the sound of her voice. Good _God._ He―

 _"Nor florid prose, nor honied lies of rhyme, can blazon evil deeds or consecrate a crime!"_ she shrieked, her voice shaking.

Her voice was pleading, painful to his ears. No matter what happened with the purifier, he would not relish the outcome that Eden had planned for the girl. She could not be considered loyal, not after the game she had been playing. And _his_ hand _would_ be the one to deliver the punishment that she had incurred.

Augustus opened his eyes to the sight of James still tapping at the panel. If he hadn't thought better of her intentions against Eden, prior to this, her poetry wouldn't make much sense. She was condemning him, as well as the supercomputer, with her references.

Part of him wished that she would give him cause to execute both herself and her father, on the spot. Without her machinations playing fortissimo against Eden, he could focus on the goals that his father had orchestrated after arriving in the Capital Wasteland. Without her being present, his mind would clear and be able to guide him to better success. Without her―

Lillie kept shouting, and her words pierced through his thoughts to break his concentration. "Please! _Don't do it!"_ she was shrieking. **_"Please!"_**

James turned his head, his eyes sliding over the doorway behind Augustus before moving back to the control panel and typing in a three-digit code. He stepped backward by a step and looked directly ahead of him at the murky water swirling in the purification chamber.

She was yelling at her father. Not at _him,_ as he'd thought. She could see through the glass, naturally, see what James was doing. Augustus frowned at James, who was still staring blankly at the chamber ahead of him and had curled his hands into fists at his sides.

"Enough of these delays," he snapped, dipping his hand into a pocket and closing his fingers around a syringe. Something wasn't right―

"It'll only be a few more moments," James said, his voice free of any emotion.

A loud bang sounded inside of the control room. James reeled from the panel, and Augustus' eyes immediately became hazy―he was staggered, pulling his hand from his pocket and jabbing himself with shaking hands―

James limped to the panel, moving to the glass and thumping a weak hand against it, as the control room filled with radiation.

 _"Run,"_ James commanded Lillie, his voice echoing through Augustus' head. **_"Run!"_**

Augustus collapsed to the floor, yelling in agony.

 _Goddamn_ the man―he should have _known―_


	38. XXXVIII - Of the Disobedience

**PART THREE**

* * *

 _"For brotherless she was, save in the name_  
 _Her infant friendship had bestow'd on him;_  
 _Herself the solitary scion left_  
 _Of a time-honour'd race.―It was a name"_

"The Dream" by Lord George Gordon Byron

* * *

Lillie turned and ran, her boots pounding the stairs. Jericho was right behind her as she grabbed Dr. Li by the back of the collar and dragged the woman away from the rotunda, muttering under his breath.

It was the last order her father gave that she could _ever_ obey. She ran.

Lillie didn't think. Feet hit the access tunnel, slipping and falling in their hurry on the last few rungs of the ladder. She stayed up top and watched for Enclave soldiers―the ones who she hadn't dealt with were still in the foyer of the memorial, and the place was rumbling with the untimely activation of the purifier―

She still couldn't form any thoughts. Pushed herself and the others into the Taft tunnels and regrouped, stomping their way through the dingy sewers filled with feral ghouls and shit. Jericho kept her moving, his never-ending stream of obscenities a brush of static on her mind. She needed that―to keep her from thinking―

The tunnel ended out above ground, across the river and away from the memorial, with the impressive sight of the Citadel emerging above them. Lillie reached down and thumbed her Pip-Boy, but stopped herself.

Ignored what had just happened. Better that way. If she left her eyesight intact, President Eden would see and she would be found―

 _He'd killed him._

Lillie turned away from the sight of the Citadel, facing Jericho. The man was staring at her, grinding his teeth and giving her a look of extreme anger. He crossed and uncrossed his arms, flexing his hands into fists and clenching them, knuckles gone white under the layer of dirt he permanently wore.

"Got your answer, alright," he said pissily.

She blinked for a fraction of a second before she exploded into tears.

 _He'd killed him!_

* * *

Jericho watched her crying for about five minutes, letting her beat her head off of his chest. She raised her hands and started hitting him with her fists repeatedly, each one less powerful than the last, until she'd exhausted herself. She grabbed his shoulders weakly, then leaned into him and slid down, resting her forehead at the bottom of his rib cage, sobbing.

After what felt like forever, Jericho breathed out over her head and poked her in the side. "Turn on the radio, Lillie."

She felt the pain spiking in her chest, and rubbed her forehead on his chest. Didn't answer.

 _ **He'd** killed her dad._

 ** _He'd_** _killed Colonel Autumn._

She could barely hear Jericho talking, her ears were so full of ringing and the muffled pain of crying. Kept telling her to turn on the radio, sounding more and more irritated as he repeated himself.

 _They were―_

 ** _Dead._**

Lillie reached over under her chin, flicking on the radio on her Pip-Boy, numbly. Jericho muttered something approvingly, then grabbed her by her shoulders and pushed her away from him. "Don't get all fuckin' weepy," he said, removing his hands from her as soon as she was away. "Get yourself killed, doin' that shit."

She dropped her arms and stood in front of him, staring at the buckles on his jacket. Couldn't... couldn't stop the pain. She could feel the wind gently teasing at her hair, blowing curls into her face. Cold when it hit the tears that still fell down her face. She could...

 _Wait._

She brought up a hand and touched her eyelid, feeling her own fingers become wet. Stared at her hand, saw the glistening wetness as it seeped into the whorls of her fingertips. For a moment all she could do was appreciate the visual input as a testimony to how much she'd truly―

 _Wait!_

The radio was on―but she could still _see._

Lillie lifted her head and focused on Jericho, staring at his face. He looked―different, but yet the same. The―the _colorful_ world that she had become used to was gone. She―

Lillie blinked, feeling her breath squeezing in and out of her chest. Suddenly it had become very hard to breathe. "Oh, _God,"_ she strangled out, her eyes widening. Panic. The―the feed was continuous, even with the radio interference―

She could see. VIOLA still operated, inside of her head.

Lillie turned away from Jericho, staring at the wasteland. Everything was clear, a clean image of the area without static. And it was in _monochrome―_

She should have known. She should have _known!_

 _And **he'd killed them both.**_

She jerked her head around to the ex-raider, setting her mouth. "Jericho," she said, her voice hard.

"Yeah," he replied, staring at her. He swallowed and clenched his jaw and she watched his Adam's apple bobbing under his chin, narrowing her eyes.

"Plan's changed," she told him, quietly.

"Alright," he said, shifting his weight and crossing his arms over his chest. "So now what?"

"We've got work to do." Lillie moved and spoke, striding away from the tunnel entrance toward the Citadel.

"I ain't _never_ gonna get paid," he muttered under his breath, as he followed.

She laughed, bitterly. "Welcome to the fuckin' wastes," she said, as her feet hit the hard ground.

* * *

Dr. Li introduced Lillie to someone called Elder Lyons. She was entirely unfamiliar with the Brotherhood of Steel, other than a vague memory of their being a pain in President Eden's side. Couldn't recall what he'd been talking about, at that time. It was a conversation with the Colonel that she'd walked in on, and the President had diverted the topic quickly.

So, if she were to take everything that she had learned up to this point, she imagined that President Eden wanted her to experience the Brotherhood as an innocent. To use her own personal opinions and the―the constant propaganda he'd put into her head―and make her own decision of what they were. Either she was intended to have her interest piqued by the sudden change of topic, or she was intended to have taken nothing away from it.

He had not brought the topic up, in conversation with her, after that minute overheard comment. She assumed innocence was the preferred outcome, that it was accidental for her to hear. Her actual opinion of the Brotherhood had been formed primarily when she approached GNR, viewing them as a powerful force to fight against.

The battle in GNR's courtyard against the super mutant behemoth had shown her their capabilities as soldiers―Lillie pressed her mouth together and sized up the men in front of her. Even for the Enclave and the technology they possessed, the Brotherhood was a threat.

Regardless of their military strength, the Brotherhood of Steel was still neutral toward Lillie. They had only her reputation to rely on, and her relative anonymity prior to entering the wastes lent to her a certain amount of leeway in creating that reputation. Helping Three Dog with his satellite dish had been in her favor.

The aid she gave him proved she could not be working with the Enclave, giving him an opportunity to overpower the Enclave signal. Considering the recent events, and her dash to safety from the Enclave threat at the memorial, the Brotherhood could only see her as an ally.

Elder Lyons spoke to her very gently, but he was charismatic. Lillie kept herself quiet, for the moment. Gauged how much use she might have, allying herself with the Brotherhood. Allowing herself to be used, for further purpose, by a group of people who were similar to the Enclave and held lofty ideals like―

She wasn't sure it was to her benefit, to work with the Brotherhood. Not _yet._

"James found a way to make the purifier work," Dr. Li was telling the Elder, as Lillie stood watching.

Cued a discussion that ended up inside of the Citadel, staring at a group of Brotherhood soldiers in power armor and the woman Sarah Lyons. Lillie had met her before. Didn't care much for the woman's attitude, now or then.

She let them speak while she thought. They were content to run the show, the matters relating to the purifier, without her input. Which was fine by her, because she had no intent to get involved with that―

Unless it served a _purpose_ other than her father's sad dream, she couldn't see why she would care.

Now that her dad and Colonel Autumn were dead, Lillie had no reason to continue working with _anyone._ Even Jericho, and he was easily dealt with compared to those who'd made herself their _enemy._

 _President Eden._ He'd―

She clenched her fists and fixed her gaze on the floor, staring at the boots of the soldier standing in front of her. What might have been a vague attempt to set things right, was now solidified in her mind. She must remove the President from power.

Blindly obeying his orders had led her down a rocky precipice, and his actions had _proven_ to be sly. Unforgiving, manipulating. Everything that had happened was ordained by him.

He was not a president. Presidents did not encourage blind obedience, but freedom to choose. Even if duty was to be expected of their subjects―some must serve, that others might thrive―presidents should be held to a standard.

And that standard should not include lying, manipulation, and the pressing of others into service without the freedom to choose service.

She could see. There must have been another backup plan. President Eden activated it because he needed to see what she was doing, what was going on in the wastes. Her eyes provided him the best opportunity of intelligence that he could hope for, even with his masses of eyebots roaming the wastes.

Perhaps he thought that the deaths would break her spirit and make her malleable, again. He was _wrong._

Given the information she could provide him, she knew that he _was_ watching. Waiting for her to show to him that she was as easily handled as she once had been. Waiting and assessing her actions. It was accessory to the real goal, which was... obtaining intel on the enemy, accessing knowledge of everything relating to the purifier.

Why. She mulled the thought over in her head. Before, she had thought that she was pushed into the wastes in order to get into Vault 101. But―

The thought seemed stupid, now. Sending _her_ into the wastes seemed a stupid decision, really. If President Eden had wanted her to convince the people of the Vault to join his cause, he could have sent better emissaries than a combat-trained teenager and her dad. Her dad would have fought the Enclave, regardless of her existence―it was part of _who_ he was, who he had always been.

So she had been deviously molded and made into what she had become, by the President. Probably because he'd intended for her to react in the way she did. She respected that he was smarter than she could have imagined. But she did not appreciate that intelligence being used to produce this obligatorily complex deception. And she was _not_ a plaything.

"You payin' attention?" Jericho asked her, as he stood behind her.

"Always," she said, flicking her eyes up to the map on the wall.

"Good. I sure as shit ain't followin' all this." Jericho coughed and spat.

Lillie flicked her eyes toward Elder Lyons, considering. No one in the Citadel would know of her affiliation with the Enclave beyond the ex-raider, unless her father had told Dr. Li what had happened. That was an unknown that she would allow to remain so, because to ask the irate woman what her father had told her would only open the conversation for the reveal.

What information President Eden received... she controlled that. What he took away from what she saw, she couldn't anticipate. But she could skew the situation to her advantage.

If he was willing to play this dirty game that she had been part of since the very beginning... since her arrival at Raven Rock and his deliberate attempts to control her using VIOLA, her father's "death", Colonel Autumn's irascibility, and his own persuasion―

This was the _nail in the coffin._

She had no reason to play nice, for the sake of Colonel Autumn or her father.

Everything she did from here on out, was for herself.

Lillie stared at the map and narrowed her eyes.


	39. XXXIX - Of the Debauchery

_Note: Edited for content, replaced and updated some dialogue._

* * *

Lillie had sobered up, some. Jericho watched her with a tired eye, minding her having that fit outside of the big-ass fort. She'd hit him pretty fucking hard out there, nothing he couldn't handle, but hell―

Wanted to feel sorry for her, but couldn't. Wasn't in his nature to be sympathetic about stupid shit like that. Girl shoulda known something was gonna happen like that, her dad and that asshole in the long coat being killed. No one played a big game like hers without killing a lot of people.

Plus, he was pretty sure her dad did that shit on purpose. Killing himself. All bleeding heart, trying to keep Lillie out of trouble and saving the day. She'd had it real good, with him around. Right up till he did _that._

Guessed she'd figured all that out on her own, though. Went from bawling to sharp knife, in a flat second. And the radio wasn't working no more, to keep them Enclave fucks from seeing what she saw.

He smoked another cigarette, feeling the pain in his chest from too many already, knowing what was gonna happen next. Not even because she told him, but because he'd seen that kind of shit before. First thing little girls did when shit got real―

Cried, screamed, shut down, then got _mad._ Real fucking mad, too, the kind of mad you got when you didn't care about living no more. When you figured you were gonna die anyway, so why not take it out on everyone in your way.

Jericho grinned, remembering. Back in the day, he'd been the one making that happen. Rounding up little girls for the slavers meant being on your toes, watching for sneaky shit. Some of them girls fought like they were about to get eaten by a goddamn _Deathclaw._ It was fun beating the little shits, but he'd never been good at keeping the "merchandise" intact.

Never run across any other little girl who was as good as Lillie at taking out a threat, though. She was about as good at fucking up people as she was at talking _smart._

Which meant she was _real_ fucking good at it. Probably woulda killed his ass, already, if she hadn't needed him.

Jericho didn't want to be on the business end of her attacks, no more. Did his time already for _that_ shit. What came next was up to her, and he was minding his fucking manners.

"We need to tie up loose ends," Lillie told him. "There's... someone I need to deal with. Knows too much about me."

She'd been talking with the old asshole in a dress for thirty minutes or so, and he'd ignored the whole thing. Kicked himself in the head, here he was wanting to be _in_ on the plans. _Being stupid._ "Yeah, who's that," he asked, glancing back at the Brotherhoods assholes.

"We're going west," she said, and started walking away. "You'll like this part, I promise."

He perked up a little, then. "Like it, _huh,"_ he muttered, dropping the cigarette and walking with her to the exit. When she said shit like that...

"Did you know," she murmured, as they were leaving the place, "Moriarty called you a blubbering old drunkard?"

"Fuck Moriarty," he spat. Shit, that Irish fuck had almost as many fancy words as Lillie did―him and his goddamn _speeches._

 _"Let's,"_ she said, soberly.

Hell, she was right. He _was_ gonna like this part. Jericho grinned at her, propping his rifle on his shoulder as they started west.

* * *

He decided the plan. Told her Moriarty should see what was coming. He'd never let no one die _that_ easy. The Irish fuck had to die.

Her reasoning behind it was sound, though. Moriarty knew too much. "He could, if he chose, make up anything he wanted about me. I trust you Jericho. You won't sell me out for a handful of caps."

"You'll kill me, either way," Jericho muttered, under his breath. He knew it was gonna happen. She needed to cut her teeth on something better than his old ass, though.

"So Moriarty has to go," Lillie said, frowning.

What Jericho wanted to do was what the raiders wanted to do to _him_ ever since he'd bugged out of the Mills, back in the day. Lot of torture, some taunting, maybe a souvenir or two. Something to remember him by. Jericho looked around, paranoid. Started playing with his knife. Threw it at a rotting stump, and grunted in satisfaction when it hit dead center.

"You're saying we should let him have a word in, edgewise," she said, slowly.

"That bastard _loves_ to talk," he muttered, moving to pull the knife out of the tree. "Needs to know he's about to die." He gestured at her with the knife then spat to the side, pulling his hand back.

"Like you know _you're_ gonna die?" she asked, quietly.

"Fuck off!" he snarled, holding up the knife and glaring at her. Poking at him about that coughing blood shit, again―

She only smiled, amused at him. She was sitting loosely on a nearby rock, letting her legs dangle. Reminded him again, of those pretty little smiles she used to give him. Her playing all cutesy and being all nasty about getting results. That shit was lost when her daddy showed up.

She hadn't given him a good smile like that in a long time, either. He'd missed it. Jericho shot her a pissed-off look, but couldn't keep it up. Ended up with a shit-eating grin on his face, which made her smile widen. Worth it, who cared. His head started to swell up again, like it had back then.

She was gonna get that shit back, tonight. He'd make sure of it.

"It's really pretty out here," she said, softly. Looked up at the overpass, over their heads. The moon was rising in the distance. "Nice for traveling."

That was probably a hint that she didn't need his help, or something. He bristled at that, but calmed himself down. "Listen," he started, tightening his grip on the knife. "I ain't going nowhere, kid."

"I know," she said, looking back down at him. Her smile faded.

"It ain't about the money, no more," he said, feeling the pain in his lungs again. "But one last fuckin' _hurrah_ would be nice. Make like the old days, but just you and me."

She fixed him with a resigned look. "Whatever you want, Jericho," she said, sounding sincere.

There was that honest shit again. Jericho sighed. "You gonna learn to lie, you gotta stop being so goddamn truthful," he said, sheathing the knife.

"I know," she repeated, and drew her legs up to her chest. "I'm trying."

He pushed himself up, stretched, and spat onto the ground. Didn't want her back in the bawling shit, again. Wouldn't do either one of them any good.

"C'mon, kid," he said, crooking a finger at her. "Let's go stir up shit."

* * *

The lock opened easily under Lillie's hands. Jericho stood behind her, watching, as she pulled out two combat knives and held them with the blades pointed downward. He nodded, and she kicked the door in.

Moriarty was sitting at the computer, as always. He didn't have much time to react before Lillie stabbed downward into both of his shoulders, using the knives to pull him off the chair. She moved around to pin him to the floor, straddling him at the waist and twisting her knives.

The Irishman lifted his arms to grab at her, yelling in pain. Jericho jammed his rifle barrel into the asshole's face, pointedly.

 _"Listen up, cocksucker!"_ he said, borrowing the Irish fuck's line. He grinned at the look on Moriarty's face, the mixture of anger and fear that spread across. "We're gonna have a _friendly_ conversation, ain't we?"

Moriarty's eyes moved to Lillie, sitting atop him with both hands clenched around the knives. He set his mouth and stared at her, the fear gone and replaced with determination. _"Aye,"_ he said, breathing slowly. "What's going on, little flower?"

"Business, Mr. Moriarty," she answered, staring at him with no trace of emotion in her face. "That's all."

"Your business manner leaves something to be desired, love," Moriarty said, wincing as he moved and the knives didn't.

"Doesn't it, though?" she asked, blandly. Jericho laughed, couldn't help it. Seeing her sitting on the Irish fuck like that, he remembered why he'd wanted to get back out in the wastes.

That sort of shit made him think like a dirty old man, again. Been a while since he'd thought like that. Liked her too much to fuck up this thing they had going, to do something that stupid. Moriarty's warning about wax cats and hell came to mind.

She'd probably _stab_ him, if he tried. That made his smile feel dumb. _Stupid little girls,_ what could you do.

"I _should've_ stabbed you in the head," she hissed at the Irishman, her attitude switching from empty to angry in a flash. "Siccing Jericho on me like that―for the sake of information?"

Moriarty grunted in pain, breathing as best he could under her. "You know the game as well as I do," he grumbled. His hand twitched on the floor and Jericho shoved the rifle into his forehead painfully. "You get what you pay for―"

"I guess that was money poorly spent, wasn't it," she told him, leaning forward a little to get into his face. "Since the whole wasteland knows what I'm doing, if they listen to GNR."

Moriarty jerked his head down by an inch and stared at her. "Aye, love. Not _every_ plan goes somewhere." He made a pained face and sighed. "What can I do for you today?"

"This?" she asked, turning the knives in his shoulders slightly to produce a loud groan of pain. "This is loose ends. I can't have people in the know about me."

Jericho snickered as blood pooled under the Irishman's shoulders, soaking into his shirt. "Lass," Moriarty breathed. "You know I don't know―"

"I know you'd sell my story to half the population of Megaton for a sackful of caps," she said, leaning back onto him. "Might even make up a little theory about where I came from."

"You do know the game," he said, going very still underneath her. "What's your move, then, lass?"

 _"Dead_ men don't need caps, Mr. Moriarty." Lillie stared at him, her hands tightening on her knives.

"God Almighty," Moriarty muttered, closing his eyes. Jericho laughed, unable to stop himself. Waited for her to do the deed.

But she didn't make any motion to move. Instead, she looked up at Jericho like she was confused. He curled one side of his mouth up into a nasty smile. "It's your turn, kid," he said. "You got this."

She stared at him with a weird face. "But I've never," she said, sounding worried, and he groaned to himself.

Moriarty opened his eyes and gave her a critical look. "Lass, I won't hold this―this little revenge of yours, _against_ you," he said, carefully. "We're two of the same, you know."

Lillie kept her eyes on Jericho, who stared right back at her. She knew perfectly well the plan was gonna include murder. Couldn't afford to back out, now. This shit she was pulling―hesitating―this was gonna cost her more than her fucking _morality_ if she _didn't_ follow through. Moriarty could tell she didn't want to, and he was gonna try to talk his way out of it with his fancy words.

Moriarty wasn't gonna beg, either. Jericho didn't think the man would, but he'd gotten his hopes up. "Kid," he snarled. Not even a warning, but a threat. He moved his rifle away from the man's head, taking away the surety of the situation. Held his hands up, rifle pointed at the ceiling, and glared at her.

She pouted, drawing her eyebrows together. "Jericho―" she started, but was interrupted by the Irishman.

"Listen, now, lass," Moriarty was saying. "I know you like to play a little rough..." Trying to distract her, make her confused. She should know better than to let the asshole have a foothold.

Lillie twisted the knives again, still staring at Jericho. Moriarty made another agonized yell and started breathing faster, finally panicking. He spat out a few more words, his voice gone all wobbly from the loss of blood.

"Leave me with no choice, little flower," he mumbled. He drew a deep breath and yelled, _"Gob!"_

Lillie's eyes fell to Moriarty's, a furious look on her face. "I warned you!" she growled, pulling the knives from his shoulders in a spray of blood. Moriarty yelled out again, calling for Gob―but she stopped him from making any coherent words in a quick motion. She slammed her knives into his face, grunting with the effort.

Right in the eyes, _hah!_ Jericho moved backward, grinning maliciously. Lillie lifted her arms and let go of the knives, her face spattered with blood. She shuddered, once, then dropped her hands to her sides. Stared at Moriarty, who was making a shit-ton of godawful noise and thrashing under her, with a horrified look on her face.

After a moment Jericho lifted his foot and brought it down on the hilts of the knives, just to shut him the fuck _up._


	40. XL - Of the Disillusionment

She woke up, propped against a rock under a set of cliffs, with Jericho standing in front of her. Stared around her at the area, looking over a huge dip in the land.

To the southwest was a tall building partially hidden behind an overpass. To the northwest was her goal, a garage that might hold some information. Elder Lyons had soldiers out searching for more, but there were so many Super Mutants around the D.C. ruins, even he doubted that their reconnaissance would prove useful.

Lillie rubbed her eyes, staring at the surrounding area. She hated the monochrome―it screwed with her ability to tell how much damage she was actually doing, and jarred her senses. It had very little effect on her navigation of the wastes, considering the Capital was fairly lacking in color, but...

She stopped herself, lowering her hands as she leaned against rock, and stared at them. Blood flecked her knuckles, glistening in the light of full moon. She'd almost forgotten―

Lillie sat straight up, glancing at Jericho, remembering. What happened with Moriarty, what he'd talked her into doing. She felt sick to her stomach, knowing _she'd―_

She'd killed a man in cold blood. Even if Moriarty _had_ sold any information about her, it wouldn't have mattered. That flimsy pretense she'd given him... her excuse for doing what she had, though she really hadn't wanted to actually _kill_ him...

She groaned and covered her face, closing her eyes. She hadn't even thought she _could_ kill him. He'd forced her hand, calling out for the ghoul bartender, and she'd―she didn't even see what she'd done until it was over with―

A _horrible_ way to die. Lillie shuddered, feeling the urge to cry. Could have put him down any other way, and it would have been more humane... he'd bled so _much!_

She was no stranger to violence. Didn't think seeing blood would ever bother her, that badly. When she'd stabbed Moriarty in the shoulders, it all went onto the floor. But, after she'd put her knives into his eyes―

Lillie stared down at her arms, shivering in the moonlight. She was covered in his blood, still. When she'd... she'd stabbed him in the eyes, after _that―_ when Jericho stomped on his head―

She shivered and closed her eyes, but she could still see the blood splashing up onto her, feel his still-warm body twitching under her, hear the laughter Jericho gave when Moriarty finally stopped breathing. She could hear his praises for her, telling her how great it was that she'd done that―and Gob's horrified expression as he poked his head into the back room, as they were fleeing the scene―

Jericho was an ex-raider _bastard._ Everything that he did now, was something he'd done before and was... _expected._ Him acting like a raider was _normal._

She was just―just a stupid little girl, like Jericho kept calling her. A stupid little girl who couldn't help but become a bastard when being taught by someone like him.

She should've remembered that, when he'd said _he_ had a plan. When she let him take the lead, she'd damned herself to those actions. Accepted the... she groaned, closing her eyes. The inevitable outcome of having Jericho as a mentor.

Lillie opened her eyes to shoot him a glare and saw him chewing on something, watching the wastes. Jericho was just as bloody as she was, but the blood on his armor was drying. Her armor was still _wet._ How―how was that―

She ran a hand over her knuckles, trying to wipe it off. Nothing happened. She moved her hands wider, rubbing at the plates of combat armor, feeling the hardness, but nothing came off. _Why wasn't the blood coming off?_ She rubbed at the armor pieces, as hard as she could, but she could still see―

Lillie breathed a little faster, moving her hands over both her shoulders. No, it had to come off, she couldn't―didn't want it _on_ her anymore―

A gunshot cracked in the distance, immediately catching her attention. Jericho stood up straighter, holding up his rifle. Eyes down the sight, striding forward a few steps, searching for the source of the sound. She blinked away the haze in her eyes and looked back down at her armor.

 _Lillie, you're losing it,_ she told herself. _You've been in the wastes for too long and now you've gone insane, just like the rest of them. There's no blood on you. Look!_

She looked. There wasn't any. She blinked and breathed out, confused. Why― _how_ ―what was going on? Her mind was playing tricks on her, for sure.

Her hands shook. Her stomach growled. She hadn't slept much, and when she _had_ slept, she didn't feel safe. Even with Jericho watching out for her, she couldn't help but feel like she'd never be safe, _never_ again―not if―

Not if Colonel Autumn was dead. He was _gone._ Gone _forever._

She moaned, lowly, and pulled her legs up to her chest. Rubbed her forehead on her knees and tried not to cry. Felt lost. She'd gone too far, too long―stuck out here at the direction of a madman, even―

She was... like Alice, down the rabbit hole. She'd been in this messed-up place for too long, now. Even the impossible felt possible, and―she'd joined in the dance. _Will you, won't you?_

Lillie felt her thoughts slipping away into fantasy again. She was too tired fight it. It was easier to imagine she was anywhere else, just like she had as a little girl. _How appropriate,_ she thought, bitterly.

"Musta run off," Jericho muttered, as he came back to their temporary camp. "You awake? Let's go before whatever the fuck that was, comes _back."_

"Little girls eat eggs quite as much as serpents do, you know," she mumbled, trying to remember. She _was_ Alice, out among the grass in the woods, out of sorts in her size―

"The fuck are you on about, now," he said, staring at her. "Get up, stupid, we're _leavin'."_

"One side will make you taller, and the other side wi―" Jericho grabbed her arm and pulled her up, dragging her away from the rocks.

* * *

It wasn't very long after they'd started traveling that real trouble cropped up. A few radscorpions, a bloatfly or two, no other enemies around that were of much concern to Jericho. He dragged her along the wasteland floor without stopping, his head turning in every which way. After a time, she found herself wondering who Jericho was. She couldn't quite remember who _she_ was, even.

They passed a power station and ran into a group of raiders, the first human life she'd seen since they left Megaton. Jericho swore repeatedly as he shot and killed the first two. Lillie watched him, standing back and letting him do all the work.

"You wanna die, be my fuckin' _guest!"_ he snapped at her. Stared knives into _her_ eyes, waiting for her to say something. She should have been helping deter the threat, but...

Lillie stared up at the white sky, remembering when she'd left Raven Rock for the first time. Felt like ages ago that she'd even been there, now. Felt like she had always been outside and the bunker was only a brief memory stuck in her mind as a tempting daydream―

What would Alice do? She mulled over the thought in her head. Alice was always giving herself advice, usually very good advice, even if she hadn't listened to herself.

And Alice had lost hope at times just like Lillie, but she _never_ forgot that she needed to go home. Lillie wondered which point of the story she was at―was this the tea-party with the Hatter? Or was it the Caucus-Race? She couldn't _think._

"I know who I _was_ when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then," she mumbled. Tried to remember the Caterpillar's advice. "I can't explain _myself..."_

Jericho snorted and walked off, disappearing behind some rocks.

Lillie sat down on a rock and tried to straighten out her mind. It _seemed_ impossible―

She was too disoriented to notice someone behind her, someone who crept and put their arms around her. One hand went to her mouth and the other grabbed at her weapon.

Immediately, she came back to reality. Lillie raised one arm, slapping the other hand onto the pistol before the assailant managed to disarm her, and jabbed her elbow backward as hard as she could. The deep-toned yelp of pain was satisfying―but not enough to stop her attacker.

The hand on the pistol jerked away, disarming her. It fell from their hands, flying out onto the rocks―Lillie flicked out her knife in the brief second she had, and jabbed backwards ineffectively.

The knife nicked a rough surface, but bounced off. _He must be wearing heavy armor_ ―she raised her other hand to dislodge the man's hand on her mouth, prying at his leather-covered fingers.

She actually breathed a sigh of relief when, like some vile sort of guardian angel, Jericho swept into the scene. The report of his rifle was all she could hear, followed by ringing in her ears, and the back her head was suddenly wet. Warm blood splattered over her neck, and a chunk of skull dripping with brain matter landing on her shoulder.

Jericho grabbed her by one arm and roughly dragged her to ground level, pulling her closer to himself. _"Not a fuckin' game,"_ he snarled, breathing hotly on her face. She turned her head and coughed a little, but didn't reply.

He let her go after a moment and glanced around, as she picked a few pieces of gore from her shoulders. He was acting―paranoid, like he had back in Megaton. She found that curious.

"Jericho," she said, her voice shaking more than she wanted to admit. "Thank you."

Jericho fixed a glare on her, raising up a hand in a jerking motion as if to backhand her. "I fuckin' told you," he said. "You're gonna get your ass killed with this _shit."_

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, looking at the ground apologetically.

"I ain't like to go out like a stupid bitch―" He glanced around again. "We need to get the fuck out of here, okay? _Let's go."_

"Why are you acting twitchy, Jericho?" she asked him, evenly, brushing a piece of brain matter from her neck.

"The fuck you care!" he snapped. His foot kicked out and contacted the headless body of the raider who'd grabbed her. "Let's. Fuckin'. _Go!"_

"But why are you so angry," she muttered to herself, reaching down to pick up the pistol.

He reached out a hand and slapped her across the face, grabbing her cheeks with one hand and squeezing her mouth as he stared her in the eyes. "You _stupid_ fuckin'―"

Lillie put the pistol to his head, narrowing her eyes at him. "I trusted _you,"_ she started, angrily. Her words were jumbled by the awkwardness of his hand squeezing her face. "But how _can_ I, if you don't tell me what's going on!"

"You got a fuckin' map on your pissy little wrist computer?" he growled, his eyes falling to the Pip-Boy on her wrist.

Lillie lowered her pistol and raised her other arm, bringing up the map. Jericho let go of her face and held up his rifle, glancing around the area again. She could see the terrain information, but nothing about the local or large-view map stood out to her. "What am I looking for," she asked him, confused.

"Big fuckin' raider encampment," he muttered. "Called Evergreen Mills."

She shook her head at him. "I don't know where that is, and it's not on my map―"

"Goddammit," he swore, gripping his rifle a little tighter.

"...Are we avoiding it?" she asked him, tilting her head up to gauge his expression.

"I ain't dyin' _today,"_ he growled. A tiny sound behind him, a small rock falling from the higher ones piled up about them, made him jump in fright.

Lillie lowered her arm and considered him for a moment. "The ones you're so scared of," she said, even more curious than before.

"Look, kid," he started, turning wide eyes onto her, "them Enclave fucks might do some bad shit to us, right?" She nodded, solemnly. She expected they would execute him on the spot, even. "Alright, well―" he glanced around once more "―these _raider_ fucks find us, we'll probably get invited to _dinner."_

"You mean to say, they would _eat_ us," she inferred.

Jericho gave her a sick look and nodded. "Yeah, and if we're lucky, it'll be _after_ they kill us."

Lillie nodded, and moved forward. "Let's be on our way, then," she said, calmly.


	41. XLI - Of the Extremity

Note: For those of you sticking around... it'll be back to normal, soon enough. Warning on the swearing, it's pretty bad. Just... _yeah._

* * *

Stupid _bitch,_ she was gonna get them _both_ killed―before they got a chance to get anywhere near that stupid fucking _garage_ she wanted to―and leading them up this stupid fucking rock path, where anyone could come down over the top of the fucking things and attack them―she was _fucking insane!_

Jericho spun around, aiming his rifle up at the rocks to his left. _Fuck this shit!_ He didn't care about last hurrahs, no more. The bitch was straight-up looking to get her ass killed and he'd been dragged along―

"Jericho," Lillie hissed, from behind him. He turned his head but not his eyes, keeping them on the area where loose rocks had tumbled down.

 _Goddammit!_ If those fuckheads at the Mill caught them―he _remembered._ The _least_ worst things he could imagine were still about _five levels of fucked-up_ worse than he wanted to imagine _himself_ being on the ass-end of―

Who the _fuck_ cared about what happened to her ass, she'd probably survive it but she wouldn't wanna be alive when she _did_ ―he took a step forward, his boots crunching on the rocky soil. Fuck―he wasn't ending up on a hook in some asshole's bedroom like a _fucking party decoration!_

 _"Jericho,"_ Lillie hissed, a little more angrily.

He tore his eyes away from the rocks and shot her a glare, staring her down. As soon as he'd moved to face her, she whipped out a knife and threw it through the air. The blade caught the side of his cheek, slicing through his skin easily, but his yell of pain was drowned out by a loud noise behind him.

Fucking yao guai! _Big bitch bastard bears!_ Right behind him, too, and fucking pissed because it had a knife sticking out of it's fucking neck―it lifted itself up on two legs and swiped out at him, knocking him to the side. Lillie grunted something out and held up the pissy little pistol she carried around, her hand under the butt of the weapon to steady it.

Fuck, maybe it was _better_ to get eaten by a goddamn bear―at least this fucking thing would kill them _first―_

She didn't fire, narrowing her eyes as the yao guai barreled across the dirt at her. Jericho pulled his rifle up from his position on the ground and aimed, gritting his teeth and pulling the trigger―

The bullets only drew the bear's attention from Lillie onto him. Fucking _shit,_ knew he'd go out in some stupid-ass way because of the bitch―he lifted a leg and let the yao guai rake it as his back started to bleed onto the ground, fingers on the trigger and firing wildly at it until the clip went dry.

Only pissed it off _more._ He swore and kicked it under the chin, pushing the massive head backward. "Fire, you _fucking bitch!"_ he yelled at Lillie. Fucking furious now, she was acting _crazy_ again―his blood was splattering everywhere, as he stomped at the bear from his position on the ground―

Lillie finally fired a shot, the sound eerily loud even over the roaring of the yao guai and his own grunting and swearing. It went down abruptly, landing on his legs. Lillie stood over the body in the distance, her eyes locked on the thing and her stance even. She breathed out, as he stared at her without a word, and lowered the pistol.

 _"Fuck!"_ Jericho yelled, at the sky. "What _the fuck,_ you _cu―"_ His words stopped as soon as he remembered where they were―

Lillie moved closer, putting a boot onto the spine of the yao guai, and pushed it off of his legs. He was bleeding everywhere―fuck, that shit _hurt!_ All fucked up because _she_ wouldn't―but he wasn't as nearly fucked up as they were gonna be if those―

"The game's going on rather better now," she said calmly, holding a hand out to him.

Jericho spat at her. "The _fuck_ are you―" he snapped. "You got your fuckin' panties in a _fuckin' wad_ and I ain't got _time_ to fuck _around_ with this _shit!"_

Lillie nodded, but didn't say anything. She had a weird fucking look on her face, like she was thinking real hard about something―

 _"You_ _need to get your shit together,"_ he snarled, pushing himself upward. Christ, that hit to his back was starting to ache real fucking bad―and here she was, all fucked in the head―he was gonna be dead before fucking _sundown,_ he just―

"We're being followed," she said, in a near-whisper.

 _"What?!"_ He struggled to push himself to a stand, but the swipe to his leg made the muscles weak. _Fuck!_

 _"What―"_ he said again, tightening a hand onto his knee.

"They're only a pack of cards," Lillie told him, brightly. "We needn't be afraid of them."

If he'd had _any_ fucking bullets left in his rifle he would've shot the bitch right then and there. He swung out and tried to punch her, but she ducked backward and looked down at him like she was― _fuck,_ she was playing her _stupid game again―_

"Just..." Lillie smiled at him, one of those pretty fucking ones she used to give him. A sudden chill went down his spine. "Just hang in there, okay?"

 _"What―fuck―"_ She was confusing him, with all this _shit―_

Lillie turned to her right and took one step, then started running―running _fast,_ down the narrow passageway they'd taken through the rocks. _The fuck!_

A long rope came over the top of the rocks, looping him around the neck and pulling _hard―_

 ** _Fuckfuckfuck―_**

* * *

Woulda wished for Moriarty's fucking water bucket to the face. Woulda wished for Lillie to fucking kill him, even if she didn't like doing that. Woulda wished for anything but―

The fucking shit they _were_ gonna do to him. Jericho couldn't see what they'd _already_ done, but he sure as fuck _felt_ that shit. Dragged him back to the fucking Mills, him fighting like the ungodly bastard he was―one of the fuckheads grabbed his leg and put a foot on his fucking knee _and―_

 _"Just hang in there, okay?"_

Fuck that fucking delusional _fucking stupid fucking cunt bitch―_

He wasn't gonna give them the fucking _pleasure_ of hearing him scream. They dumped his ass down into the Mills, thirty feet down the rocks, let him bounce off _every_ _fucking one_ on the way down. Laughing and whooping in _fucking delight_ as they jerked him up by the rope and dropped him, again―

 _He wasn't no fucking pussy!_ Wasn't gonna pass the fuck out and waste any opportunity he had to fight back― _fuck―pain― **fuck!**_

Spat out blood, opened his eyes. They'd stopped skipping his ass along the rocks and had him suspended over the ground, body hanging against the rocks. Rope around his neck, one hand trapped underneath the shit because he'd managed to grab it before they tightened the fucking noose on him―bad idea, _Christ_ he was so _fucking_ stupid―

"Thought you got away." Someone was talking. He didn't fucking care to talk. Hocked a fat wad of bloody snot at the fuckheads, felt the shit dribbling down his chin. Fucking rope, couldn't breathe―couldn't _see―_

"The fuckin' _legend,"_ the voice was saying. "I can't believe you came back, Jericho."

"What a fucking _retard!"_

Shrieks of laughter rang out through the rocks. He relaxed for a moment, trying to keep conscious. White spots in his eyes kept circling, that fucking noose around his neck―kicked a leg out and caught something―pain and a sharp cracking noise―

 _"Nnnnghh!"_ he choked out. _Fucking bastards_ broke _both_ his kneecaps―

"Hold that hand," someone said. "We're gonna make sure this goes _slow."_

Fuck _him,_ and he fucking _did_ scream. Nine fingers left―

Something exploded loudly in the distance. Another sharp knife sound―Jericho muffled out another scream, feeling the pain― _eight fingers―_

Someone shouted out a swear and the air opened in a deafening report of shots, screams and yelling drowned out by the closeness of the gunfire. Something fucking weird bellowed out in the area, breathy and snuffling like the biggest fucking mole rat _ever―_

The rope went slack, he dropped to the ground. All he could smell was blood. Could taste something electric in the air. All he could feel was pain overcoming him as he hit the rocky ground with both knees and jarred broken bones back together inside smashed muscles. **_Fuck!_**

He coughed, spitting up more blood and mucus, loosening the rope from his neck with three fingers. Pulled that shit from his neck, dropped his good hand to the ground, and threw up onto the dirt.

That something weird was hollering in the distance again, sounded bigger than a yao guai. Jericho blinked, but he was too fucking tired and in too much pain to see straight― _goddamn_ ―how was he _still―_

Heavy footsteps, thumping along the ground. Could feel the vibration along the dirt through his hand. He looked down at his right hand, saw the blood pouring from the raw stumps of his small and ring finger. Let the hand fall to the ground, and coughed up more vomit, shaking his head in disbelief.

 _"Just hang in there, okay?"_

He chuckled, staring at the dirt below him, without seeing it. At least the fuckheads wouldn't be able to eat him alive, _now―_

He toppled onto the ground.

* * *

"I don't think they play _at_ _all_ fairly," she was saying.

His eyes cracked a bit to see the interior of a metal shack, yellow light and dust motes flying through the holes in the walls. _Pain_ ―all over his fucking body―

Jericho snapped his eyes open and jerked out an arm, grabbing at the stupid bitch as she sat beside him, her head tilted and hands occupied with something she was holding. Lillie let him get a hold on her, turning in a fluid motion as he pulled her toward him. He had one hand drawn back to punch her right in the fucking _eyes―_

She jammed something into his mouth as she moved forward, slamming her palm flat against his face and damn near choking him with― _fuck!_ He coughed, spat, tried not to taste what she'd tried to feed him― _his own fucking fingers―_

Fucking bitch was _more_ than just crazy! She'd gone over the fucking edge and back and lost her _goddamned mind!_

He let her go and dropped back onto the bed, clawing at his mouth and hacking up the taste of his own hands. Lillie hummed to herself, quietly, and when he'd managed to get himself back to rights he glared up at her. Pushed himself up on the mattress― _what in the fu―?_ None of this shit made _sense!_

"Be what you would seem to be," she said, looking at him pointedly. "As I seem to be insane, thus I _am."_ She looked away, smiling oddly.

 _"I'll kill you, you fuckin' cunt,"_ he spat, lifting his hand to grab at her again.

"I invite you to try," she said, lifting one hand and calmly placing her pistol to his forehead. "But for now... we're playing the _game,_ Jericho."

 _"What―"_ he started, but she pushed the pistol into his head and swiveled hers to look at him. Her head was loose on her shoulders and her eyes darkened in the shack, but she was death brought to reality in that moment. He felt his stomach churn once, felt ashamed of himself.

"I am a puppet," she said, her smile fading. "I was _made_ to please."

Jericho coughed, closing his mouth tightly and keeping his eyes on her. His whole body shook with the shit, knocking his knees together in a pang of pain. Didn't feel like they were broken― _she musta used stimpaks_ ―what the fuck was she _keeping him alive_ _for?!_

Lillie lowered the pistol and nodded at him. "I'm perfectly sane," she said, in a genuine-sounding voice. "This is all part of the game. I _am_ sorry you lost your fingers, though." She lowered her gaze and sighed. "You _have_ to trust me, Jericho. If you were less agitated, you would have seen the rope coming."

She put the pistol away. Turned and grabbed his rifle, and held it out to him. "C'mon," she said, pushing it at him. "You have no reason to be scared of _them,_ anymore."

Jericho grabbed the rifle with the three remaining fingers of his right hand and nodded at her, shaking.

 _Fuckin' Christ._ And he'd thought _those_ assholes were frightening.


	42. XLII - Of the Escalation

"How are you feeling, Colonel?"

Augustus groaned, raising a hand to his face and rubbing his temples. "Nngh," he answered, cracking one eye and immediately slamming it shut against the glaring lights of the medical bay.

"Doctor, lower the lights. The Colonel is uncomfortable." There was a shuffling noise in the room, soft noises of clothing moving. "You may open your eyes, Colonel. Come now, we've much to do and little time."

He opened them slowly, feeling what must have been a month's worth of sleep shaking from him. He was... in the bunker? When had he―

Augustus closed his eyes and felt them moving dryly in their sockets, trying to recall what had happened. He'd... gone out of Raven Rock, he remembered that. Flown to an area in the D.C.―he opened his eyes again. The memorial. He remembered with perfect recollection, what had happened. Good God, James had tried to _kill_ him―

Augustus tried to laugh, but could only cough. He was dehydrated, obviously. Even though he was trussed up in a hospital bed with I.V.s sticking out of him like decorations on a damned Christmas tree, he wasn't taking fluids very well. A side-effect of the massive amount of rads he'd suffered. Among the other, more _unpleasant_ symptoms of radiation poisoning.

"Water," he commanded the doctor. He pushed himself upward slightly, then weakly fell back to the bed. After having his fill of water, he sought out the glaring eye he knew was watching him.

"Mr. President," he said, acknowledging it.

"I'm glad to see you are alive, Colonel," Eden replied, though it's "voice" sounded as if it couldn't care less. "You've gone through quite a bit of treatment, in the past week. We weren't sure we would be so graced, again."

He moved his arm out, coughing lightly as he examined his skin. Flushed red with some sort of rash. But it was still attached to his muscles―thank God for that. The very worst thing he could have imagined was to become one of the disgusting ghouls stowed away in the specimen containers around the base.

"You'll..." he put his arm down and tried to push himself upward again, "have to tell Watkins his work wasn't without value."

"It is remarkable that the experimental drugs worked so well," Eden commented. "Sort yourself out, Colonel. When you are ready, I will be waiting to speak with you." The eye dimmed.

Augustus hauled himself up, coughing and groaning. Examined his skin again. He was intact. A goddamned miracle, really.

He turned his gaze to the side. The doctor removed the I.V.s quickly, as he stared into the medical bay. Hard to collect his thoughts into coherence, after that―after he'd nearly died, after...

He sighed, rubbing his temple again. The pain was irrelevant. James had attempted to kill him, which was to be expected of the man. He had not succeeded, which was relevant, but he himself... likely, dead. The man had nothing to keep him from being exposed to the full brunt of the radiation that the purifier had released.

True to that outcome, Augustus knew the man hadn't been lying when he said the purifier didn't work. He would have to speak with Eden and ascertain why. James' idealism had, as Augustus had always expected, put him into an early and thoroughly undeserved grave.

Would that the man had _listened_ to him, at least once. He felt no sorrow for James' loss. He _had_ wanted to kill the man. And there was―

Lillie. God! He felt the sharp spike of pain in his temple and groaned loudly in the too quiet room. She'd been watching―and she'd known what her father had been doing. She'd implored him not to―not to―

He must find out what had happened in the week he'd been indisposed. Augustus stood and dressed himself as swiftly as he could manage.

* * *

"The game's going on rather better now," Eden told him, as he approached the "body" of the supercomputer.

"Sir?" he asked, his voice roughened by the week-long coma. Not even awake for an hour and it was already beginning its insidious machinations again. He could barely stand up straight, much less defend himself against the thing.

He must, though. Everything hinged on it. Augustus paid as close attention to the words it spoke, as he could.

"Well." Eden's eye burned into his eyes, painfully. "I will debrief you now, Colonel."

James was dead. Augustus had expected no less. Lillie had fled the purifier, pushed through the evacuation tunnels underneath the memorial. She'd ended out near the Citadel, and―if Augustus was to believe that Eden was being truthful as it skewed the information for him to hear―had infiltrated the Brotherhood of Steel.

"How could she?" he found himself asking the unblinking eye.

"It's very simple, Colonel. As she was thrust into the wasteland, on foot and unadorned, no one could know she was Enclave. Unless she told them herself..." Eden chuckled, dryly. "And I daresay, she's dealt with the few who _do_ know in rather a most unpleasant way."

Augustus breathed out, shifting his weight off one leg and onto the other. He couldn't spare even a fraction of a thought to deal with _that._ "And the reason for her joining the Brotherhood, sir?"

"Naturally, having eyes inside the Citadel is of benefit."

"VIOLA is still operational, then," Augustus mused.

Eden made a thoughtful noise. "She did attempt to interfere with the signal, after fleeing the memorial. I was forced to activate the auxiliary signal, to compel her to behave." It barked out a laugh, making him wince. "As we've both discovered, dear Colonel, teenage girls are _quite_ hard to discipline."

He couldn't feel the sinking of his heart. He'd not known about an auxiliary, of course. But he had known that he would be out-thought. It couldn't hurt him any further, knowing that Eden had planned for her to disrupt the signal and put into place some kind of failsafe.

What disturbed him more was that his men had engaged in the auxiliary program without his knowledge. The supercomputer was one thing to manage, but he'd thought his people were still of one goal. That was what the Enclave represented―a future where patriotism still had some value―

Having the idea planted that his men would go behind his back and work with Eden, without his knowledge, was more infuriating than knowing Lillie was still alive and being forcefully compelled by Eden. Her treachery had been with purpose, set into motion by his own devices. She'd been given the appropriate information and she'd indicated she understood through her own means.

Augustus was baffled by the girl. He'd threatened her, chased her from Raven Rock, had his men fire upon her―deliberately, because he'd intended for her to turn traitor. She _hadn't._ The painstaking deliverance of orders, when the Vertibird was sent to retrieve the dwellers, the effort he'd gone through to make sure the men believed that Lillie was a rogue agent...

They _still_ believed this, and he'd quietly encouraged the sentiment. When she returned to Raven Rock he'd hoped that she would be considered the enemy, and thus when Eden treated her as a conquering hero―he would act. His men would support his decision to remove the President from power, for backing someone who was an obvious traitor.

Every iota of his plan had been _perfect._ And yet... she was still irritatingly loyal, going so far as to ask her father not to kill him. If only he could safely speak to her―

"Colonel, you are unusually quiet," it said, removing him from his thoughts.

"I'm sorry, sir," he mumbled, shifting his weight again. "I'm... still not at my best."

"You will come to your senses, soon. I have a specific set of instructions for you that should brighten your spirits immeasurably." Eden ejected a holotape from its console. "Take this. As of right now, Lillie is moving toward a Vault on the west side of the Capital Wasteland. Going there represents nothing of value, for her mission. I'd like you..." it chuckled, again, as if it were amused with itself. "To record her a missive, instructing her to travel toward Vault 87. Deliver it to the garage hiding the Vault, so that she has no choice but to accept."

Augustus removed the holotape and put it into his pocket, then stared up at the eye. "At once, sir," he said.

 _Damn_ the ZAX bastard! It was reading his mind, now!

* * *

Making sure Eden was paying attention, Augustus returned to his quarters and set about making himself presentable. He opened the drawer on his desk and stared at the contents, for a brief moment, then tossed the tape into the drawer and shut it.

He changed from the temporary uniform into what he presumed was a replacement for his heavily-irradiated coat. The hole where Lillie had shot him through the shoulder was missing.

A strange feeling rose in his chest. He thumbed the collar of the coat, and sighed. Shaved the week's worth of beard he'd grown and watched his hands trembling in the mirror. Either the massive radiation dosing had lingering effects, or...

His hand dropped to the sink, loosely holding the straight-edge. He stared at his fingers, remembering so many weeks before when he'd raised it in anger against her. She'd... forgiven him, for that. But she had not forgiven her father. Everything that he had witnessed on the holotapes led him to believe she'd unnecessarily demonized James. His lie had brought them into the Enclave fold, but―it had given her safety. Safety always had a price, whether it was the lives of soldiers who defended or being subject to a demoralizing leader such as Eden.

James' actions might have been terrible, but he'd had the best of intentions. Augustus couldn't feel sad for the man, true. But he felt for _Lillie._ Lillie, who had been denied the bond she required at such a tender age, who'd been thrust into Augustus' unwilling and irascible arms. Who'd been deliberately raised to have as little contact with others as possible, so that she was forced to bond with a person she'd viewed as an... enemy.

No matter how many times her father had tried to speak to her, in the Vault and afterward, she'd never given into him. She was agitated, Augustus suspected, because she'd been angered by the revelation that she was not of the Vault. That lie that had made her into what she was, caused her to fight with James.

Now... he sighed, clenching his hand into a fist. Given what James had done for her, attempting to save her from the Enclave―yet, only playing into Eden's opera―

"What did I say to you. I said be mindful. Stop trying to talk to me. You never know who could be listening," his voice played out onto the air. Augustus' breath caught in his chest, his eyes widening in his reflection.

"I know. I needed to say thanks, though," Lillie'd replied.

"You are a mindless puppet. And puppets can be made to please."

 _Good Lord._ The straight-edge rattled against the sink. He lifted the razor to his neck and slowly, deliberately, removed the last bits of hair.

"Your resolve is admirable, Colonel," Eden said, sounding more amused than ever. Augustus ignored it, drying the straight-edge and putting it away. He cleaned the residue from his face and wiped down the sink, feeling his hands shaking.

Once he'd finished, and felt back to normal, he retrieved the holotape and began recording the message that Eden wanted Lillie to hear. He studied the map of the area before speaking.

"Lillie, these are your orders. To the west of E4 point zero-two. Access is limited on the surface. Seek out a nearby cave system for admission," he said, in the best commanding voice he could muster.

"Return to me, when you find your objective," Eden put in, before he could stop the recording.

Augustus quelled his anger, before taking out a pen and writing onto the side of the tape. He placed the holotape inside the desk, shutting it decisively and moving to his bed.

He'd be damned if he was going to give up, just yet. But... he needed rest.

He laid himself onto the covers and closed his eyes.


	43. XLIII - Of the Expiation

Lillie opened her eyes.

It was―well, not what she'd _expected._ She'd entered the simulation as directed by the robobrains in the Vault, but...

Everything was presented in black and white―that, she expected. But she was surrounded by a pristine environment, in which she'd appeared without celebration, containing a circular road with several houses around it. She noticed several people walking around; some were talking to each other, or buying drinks from a small boy at a stand outside of one house. The place was peaceful, a dramatic change from the outside world.

She looked down, wondering how it had changed her own self. She wasn't the adult she ought to have been, but had appeared as an average eleven-year old girl. Not much difference, there, either.

Lillie blinked and examined her surroundings again, a smile crossing her face. The whole of this was... a place where people were alive, but unharmed, where they could live in their make-believe world and everything always went well. A place to play pretend, a place to... to live as one wanted to, without fear. This was _her_ element.

 _Tranquility Lane._ What an apt name for the place.

She glanced around and approached another small girl, who was humming to herself as she watered the plants at the center of the simulation.

"Hiya!" the little girl said, cheerfully. "I'm Betty!"

Lillie smiled at her, showing a little teeth. "Hello. I'm Lillie," she said, in the same tone. "Could you tell me..."

"Do you like games?" Betty asked, interrupting her. "I love to play games!"

Lillie closed her mouth and blinked at the girl. Tilted her head to the side and smiled again. "Yes, I like games," she said, as if she hadn't been interrupted.

Betty beamed at her. "I know a really fun game we can play."

Lillie listened to Betty, carefully.

* * *

It was less than five minutes later when she pulled herself from the lounger and stood in the center of the room, staring blankly at the far wall.

Despite her having little knowledge of the Vault and its reason for existence, she knew what had to be done in the end. The never-ending simulation―the changing of the venue occasionally, by that madman―all of it, was abhorrent. Lillie knew what it was like, to want to run away from everything―

But to always escape, and to never reap the benefits of the real world? That was _awful._ The old woman knew what was up, forever kept confused, touted as delusional by the others―the little boy, trapped in his forever state, never to grow older―

The people in this place had been dominated by their own tyrant, a madman with an ever-changing appearance who toyed with them, much as President Eden had been toying with _her._

She shuddered to herself. Running away into something like Tranquility Lane had been a temporary escape for her, when she was younger. She knew it was not meant to be permanent. Eventually she would be thrust back into the real world, and so she'd enjoyed her ability to escape.

But they couldn't escape that Wonderland. Not with Dr. Braun treating them like―she didn't want to imagine how long two hundred years could seem, stuck in that horrid simulation. Not being able to come back to reality―

Reality had been just as wonderful, for her. When she'd come to realize her...

She felt a stabbing pain in her chest. Her feelings, for... for Colonel Autumn. Her knight in shining power armor. The pain she felt when she'd realized he was dead, which had been stemmed by the realization that she could still see, suddenly slammed back into her.

Lillie leaned back against the lounger, letting herself slide down to the floor. She put her knees up, placing her elbows against them, and covered her eyes with her hands. The terrible pain in her chest rippled out and engulfed her head, making her eyes flood her hands with tears.

A loud keening noise ripped from her throat. Jericho walked around the lounger; she could hear him coughing. He didn't say a word as she cried her heart out.

It was―she knew that President Eden wouldn't allow for Colonel Autumn to die, not if he could reliably use him to produce his goals. Her dad had killed the Colonel, and her dad had only died because―because President Eden wanted the purifier, and her dad was an idiot―

He'd wanted to see his dream―her mother's dream―come true. That was all, just an idealistic want to carry on the dream of a loved one who'd died.

Her mother died because she'd been born. Her dad died because she'd been blinded, because they'd had to go to the Enclave for safety. Colonel Autumn had died because she'd gotten her dad to the purifier, because she was trying to play President Eden's manipulation game.

Every one of those people were dead because of _her._ Because she _existed―_

She ground her hands into her eyes, letting the sobs fade into shudders. Tried to control herself, to come back from the edge. She'd been there before―

She threw a hand backward and up, punching the side of the lounger. Drew back a hand, shakily, and pushed herself upward. "Let's get out of here," she told Jericho, holding her now broken hand curled up near her shoulder.

He kept his mouth shut as he followed her from the Vault.

* * *

"It wasn't the right Vault," she told Jericho, as they were exiting the garage above the place. He nodded, coughing with his mouth closed, watching her with hooded eyes. He'd been acting like that, being quiet and minding his bad behavior, since she'd taken out Evergreen Mills. Wouldn't have had to do that, if they'd not run into the raiders.

In a way, she was glad to have had the opportunity to end his paranoia. Without the threat of the raiders, he was more focused on helping her―efficiently taking down threats and furthering her goals in a more than adequate manner. He was... well, now he acted like he was _terrified_ of her.

That might be amusing if she didn't have so many other things on her mind, so many things that she had to sort out―and Jericho being scared of her wasn't exactly a bad thing, he'd stopped the grumbling commentary peppered with curses―

She sighed to herself, running a hand up her head and brushing her hair back. Hadn't wanted the situation to end like it had, though. Jericho had a permanent limp now, shuffling around behind her in a way that drew more attention than they needed. His hand―she pressed her mouth together. She'd expected the raiders would tie him up and put him over a fire rather than maim him.

Lillie looked back at him, saw him watching her, saw how he twitched when she put her eyes on his. Really, didn't enjoy being the cause for that. She opened her mouth to say something, but her words failed her. Wasn't enjoying that, either; she'd tried to apologize for him being hurt, but...

She heard a small noise, so small she could barely recognize it. Lillie blinked, staring out into the wastes, confused. For a moment, she didn't see it. But as she moved her gaze from one side of the area to the other, and caught Jericho in her periphery, she noticed an eyebot banging against the wall of the garage.

She frowned, pulling her pistol. Jericho grew more animated, lifting his rifle to his eye and striding forward a few steps. _"Stop,"_ she whispered. He dropped his foot with a loud thump, but didn't take his eyes off of the eyebot.

She moved with a careful sidestep toward the eyebot, never lowering her pistol. It was mobile, repeatedly hitting the side of the building. She frowned, glancing around. Maybe it had a mechanical defect―or was a rogue eyebot, and would shoot at them―

As she came closer, it beeped in recognition and stopped itself. She set her feet, preparing for anything. A moment later, a holotape ejected from the back of the bot, landing in the rubble. It beeped again, and started away from them.

Lillie watched it moving away, keeping her pistol up, and didn't move until it was out of sight. She reached down and grabbed the holotape, brushed dirt from the outside, and stared at the thin handwriting. This was...

Her hands started to shake. After a moment, she dropped the pistol and scrabbled at her pockets, trying to find―

She pulled the scrap of paper with Colonel Autumn's message on it, comparing the writing. It was the same―she opened the top of her Pip-Boy and hurriedly jammed the tape into it, staring at the controls and trying to remember how it worked―

It... wasn't _his_ voice, but a similar one. "I don't know if I can trust President Eden," the man said. She felt her heart sinking, crestfallen. She'd thought―she'd _hoped―_

"Priority Override, Authorization code 420-03-20-9." The holotape seemed to end, but then... a crackle of audio sounded. She stared at her Pip-Boy, fighting a new wave of tears, as new audio began to play.

"Lillie, these are your orders. To the west of E4 point zero-two. Access is limited on the surface. Seek out a nearby cave system for admission."

 _Colonel Autumn's voice._ She felt her knees going weak. He was―he had to be―the holotape was― _he was alive!_ Her heart soared, flying up into her throat and choking her with newfound tears and hope and relief―

"Return to me, when you find your objective." President Eden. The feeling of hope in her chest shattered into a million pieces. Eden was still playing the game and the Colonel was still trapped in that bunker, with him. She let her legs go, falling to her knees. After a moment of staring blankly at the ground, she replayed the holotape.

The _first_ part. She memorized the override, playing it repeatedly. She could hear Jericho standing behind her, his boots scuffling on the ground as he turned to watch the distance. Once she could quote off the numbers without any mistakes, she let it play the rest.

E4.02 was an Enclave site to the north, near a partly functional gas station. It was a stopping point for Vertibirds, to resupply―she'd stared at the map with all the markers, for so long... President Eden had told her to memorize it, so that she wouldn't get lost. Told her where the camps would be, in great detail.

So that she... she sighed, closing her eyes. She was sure that the President had wanted her to use that information to avoid being caught, until she was able to track down the thing her father had been looking for. The G.E.C.K. was in this Vault near that camp, and the President was telling her how to find it.

If she went after the G.E.C.K. in the Vault he'd referred to, she _would_ be caught. There was no other ending to this.

Lillie stood up, removing the holotape from the Pip-Boy and putting it away. She turned to Jericho and stared at him for a long time before speaking, watching the small movements in his face.

"You said... 'one last fuckin' hurrah'?" He twitched violently when she spoke. Lillie sighed.

"...Not about the money," he muttered, under his breath.

"Yes," she said, smiling gently at him. "I'm sorry... that things have gone this way. But I made you a promise. And I intend to keep it."

He didn't reply, only stared at her with an increasingly twitching face. She turned herself out to the north, and narrowed her eyes at the distance.

"C'mon, Jericho," she said, motioning at him to follow. "Let's go stir up shit."


	44. XLIV - Of the Enchantment

Note: Having some trouble with Colonel Autumn here. ≖_≖

* * *

The Hellfire armors were finally finished. Augustus leaned back, watching the product of his research and hard work striding across the room. The soldier encased within the power armor lifted his weapon and sighted in a target, strafing and ducking, performing a full motion test.

"Weapons free," he ordered, and watched the soldier run down the line of targets. He ordered weapons held and asked the man a few questions. No complaints, not even that the armor was uncomfortable.

With that issue settled, he retired to his bunk and caught up on his rest. The ill-effects from the radiation exposure still caused him discomfort. The drug that he'd used to allay the exposure was being pushed into production, but was decidedly difficult to create; patrols would have to step up their collection of viable specimens from the wastes.

Augustus didn't wish to ruminate on the fact that he'd been forced to inject himself with what was basically a home-brewed concoction made from mutated plasma protein. If he'd had a _choice..._ But much like with his want to put a bullet in James' head, he could only push aside his personal desires for the benefit of others. He'd been doing that for so long, it was automatic.

In the last day, he'd fielded a several problems. His own inability to move about the bunker in a consistent manner had been the least of these; the Hellfire armors were now able to be used and could be put out into the wastes for more extensive testing, but until his men could provide him reliable data he wouldn't be satisfied with that outcome.

There were other issues, ones he had ample experience in dealing with, relating to personnel and existing supply. Those he delegated to others as necessary, electing to reduce the amount of stress he was under. He'd told Eden that he was not at his best, and he certainly felt that.

His biggest concern... The orchestra had provided to him a condensed version of Lillie's actions in the wastes after her father's attempted coup de grâce. He'd wished that he hadn't seen the tapes, almost immediately. Watching her realize that she was still able to see, noticing her crying―her breakdown had not made him especially confident in his plan.

And her... execution, of the barman in Megaton, that was something he disliked having to watch. He was disgusted with the way it had been handled, and found himself annoyed. If he'd been aware of that prior to him recording the holotape...

The only part of her exploits that he found himself interested in, was the takedown of Evergreen Mills. Raiders were a part of the wastes that the Enclave hadn't had the time or energy to seek out and destroy in an orderly fashion. They'd dealt with them as they came upon them, and occasionally an enterprising group―such as the ones at the Mills―would win an engagement. They had numbers on their side, overpowering the Enclave's superior technology and weaponry with sheer glut of bullets.

Lillie had played it smart. At first it seemed that she'd abandoned the grimy bodyguard she'd been trailing, leaving him behind, but... she'd scaled the rocks around the encampment and isolated an important asset. A Super Mutant Behemoth had somehow been captured by the raiders, and she lobbed a grenade into the generator that powered its containment.

It had been fascinating to watch the mutant tearing through the camp, while the raiders scrambled to defend themselves. A few unlucky wastelanders had been a part of the fray, but that was to be expected. The Mills had been a slaver stronghold for years, probably longer than Augustus had been alive.

Once the raiders were dead or had fled, she located a missile launcher and brought down the beast. Dropped the launcher to find her bodyguard, securing him before―

Augustus set his mouth. What he had gathered, from her treatment of the raiders inside the Mills, was that she was angry. Angry, probably frustrated, and looking to hurt someone. She'd been trained to keep her head in battle, but―what she'd done to the raiders was not battle. It was a massacre.

He would not feel sympathy for the men she'd torn apart, nor would he argue that the judgement she'd inflicted was undeserved. But he felt sickened to know that she could be capable of such base violence. He himself knew that the wasteland was unforgiving, but there was no need to prolong death in the way she had... tormented the raiders.

He watched her enter a lounger, and saw the simulation she'd entered. She... surprised him, then. After her initial contact with the young girl on the playground, she'd briefly interrogated the residents and marched into an abandoned house. The console that she activated caused a scenario that would have been terrifying to the people living in such a place―but it had ended the simulation, decisively.

It was surprising, mostly because she'd exhibited such violence toward the raiders, but reverted to less blunt methods shortly afterward. He wondered if her anger had been sated, with the brutal assault on the Mills.

Of course, her exiting the simulation meant she found the holotape he'd recorded. It was depressing, watching how fast she tried to put the tape into her Pip-Boy after seeing his handwriting. He sighed, then reminded himself that he needed to mind his behavior. Eden was forever watching, waiting for him to express some kind of kindred spirit toward the girl and thus reveal a weakness that could be exploited. So far, he'd managed to keep the supercomputer guessing―it hadn't attempted to bait him with her voice, other than the recorded conversation in which she'd thanked him.

That, he suspected, was the way Eden wanted to point out that it heard everything, even when one thought one was safe. It did not matter what Lillie had said, or what he had; it mattered that Eden had overheard.

Eden had been... acting oddly. There was a marked difference in its treatment of him. Augustus was unsure what to make of the sudden new vagueness the supercomputer was evincing toward him. It was almost as if the damn thing thought he'd become so enervated by his exposure, that he could not keep up with its maddening actions.

He needed to rest, but he couldn't force himself to do so until he was satisfied with the situation. If anything... Eden's reluctance to put upon him was a temporary reprieve from the scheming. He would do well to take advantage of that, while he had the wherewithal to do so.

Augustus sighed, and removed himself to his bunk. He _was_ exhausted.

* * *

Eden woke him some time later in a casual tone, but with a comment that demanded his full attention. "Colonel," it said, "I believe we should retrieve our errant Columbia."

Augustus sat up in the bed, blinking and swallowing the dryness in his mouth. "She gained entry," he mumbled, mostly to himself. Of course she had; she had no other option―

"I fear her management of personal relations is failing her, in this particular venture," Eden murmured, sounding disappointed. "She's... having difficulty. She's eliminated the only―even if temporary―ally that could have proven of use, and is unable to retrieve the G.E.C.K. on her own."

Augustus shook the grogginess from his head and readied himself for the mission. After stepping from his room, he felt his knees shaking. He _was_ physically weakened. Maybe enough that he could not adequately manage even a low grade military maneuver such as asset retrieval.

 _No,_ he told himself. Regardless of what he'd gone through, he would see this though to the end. He had to keep trying―if he couldn't keep up, he wouldn't be of use to Eden. If he was not of use to the conniving machine...

He doubted he would be alive for very much longer.

Augustus felt the length of his life pressing upon him, but shook it off to stand as straight as he had when he was twenty. Eden could think he was cowed, all it wished.

His men needed a reminder that he was still Colonel Augustus Autumn, the last of a long line of Autumns, and still the _only_ leader they could depend upon.

* * *

He had been concerned that there would be complication―Lillie must be aware that her being tasked to find the Vault and the G.E.C.K. _would_ end in her being reclaimed by the Enclave. He expected, given her recent actions, that she would either give herself up without problem or that she would have set up some kind of heinous trap for him and his men.

He already knew how they would acquire the G.E.C.K. Lillie could not possibly obtain the device for herself, but his men were outfitted with formerly top of the line, newly improved upon, power armors. He had spent the last several years working to bring those armors into existence, and they would not fail his expectations. Even untested as they were, they would not give him as much grief as Lillie had brought him.

The persons within the armors were not as reliable as the technology was, but he would not be able to readily anticipate any untoward behavior in the men until said problems arose. It was more acceptable, to him, to handle the free will of a person who might have been misled by Eden, than it was to think that his men had been subverted to the point of treason.

That being said... he kept position, waiting for the moment that Lillie would inevitably make her way toward the exit. She had come through the Vault via a difficult route through the caverns, whereas his men had marched through the radiation above-ground and set his plan into motion.

If she could be taken into custody without fighting, it would be better. Her actions... everything she had been doing out in the wastes, it was all to the point of frustrating her into deliberate mayhem. Lillie's temper had been broken multiple times, much like his had when dealing with her, and she'd shown her true nature... much like his being forced into despicable acts by Eden.

He hoped she would understand. She'd forgiven him his heinous behavior. He was willing to overlook her base violence. If she could still prove useful to him―which was why he'd given her the code―then he would do everything in his power to keep her alive.

And there were other reasons, but ones he had tried _not_ to explore. Augustus had attempted to distance himself from her, emotionally. Anything he might have felt he'd suppressed, and when she'd appeared in the rotunda... he was not bereft of those feelings, yet. Retrieving her from this Vault might prove the same, weakening his resolve. If she chose to side with Eden―something he doubted she would do, but he could not be _sure_ of―then he was already dead.

It wasn't in his nature to be fatalistic. He would not allow any uncomfortable emotions he might have for Lillie tinge his duty to his men. If Lillie fought, she would be subdued. But... if she turned traitor to him, he would take whatever punishment was given. It would be preferable to continuing this tortuous existence.

Augustus felt the strain more acutely than he'd realized. Every day he'd awakened from sleep, after the events at the purifier, he'd felt older than he ever had before. His feet moved more slowly, even if his mind sharpened by the day. It was easy to imagine he was nearing the end of his life.

Eden most certainly thought he was dulled by the the exposure. It had been treating him with careful words, as if he were soft clay. He'd encouraged it by shuffling about and expressing confusion. It would only be a matter of time before he could throw off the sheep's clothing and make his move.

...If the hard clay that he truly _was,_ was not softened by Lillie, first.

Augustus sighed, rubbing his eyes, as he stood in the Vault and waited for her to show her hand.


	45. XLV - Of the Embarrassment

Lillie sat on the edge of a metal table, staring at her hands. Jericho was leaning against the wall, working his jaw. The whole... everything relating to this Vault, had gone absolutely―

As expected. If she were thinking in the vein of President Eden, that was. Enclave victory was assured, if... if she could've actually gone into that place and gotten the G.E.C.K. She just couldn't bring herself to walk through that much radiation, even _if_ she treated herself with Rad-Away.

She scoffed, to herself. Jericho shifted his weight, his armor making a clinking noise as his buckles rattled against each other. She glanced up and saw him staring at her, his black eyes catching the light from her Pip-Boy and reflecting it back onto her. He looked like he had something he wanted to say, even though he―

 _Wouldn't,_ because he was scared she was gonna feed him the rest of his fingers, maybe. "What?" she asked him huffily, crossing her arms over her chest. Felt defensive. Couldn't help that, she'd had no other choice but to let him get hurt―even if she hadn't _wanted_ it to happen.

Jericho blinked at her and shrugged one shoulder, turning his gaze away from her. Didn't say a word. She was starting to miss the times before when he would have said something rude, or picked on her... or even flat-out ogled her. It'd been _nice,_ to have what felt like a friend.

Now, he was just a―a _dog._ Just like he kept saying―and she _had_ treated him like one―

 _Sit, stay, fetch._ Lillie felt sick to her stomach. She'd treated him like President Eden had treated her. That wasn't at all _right._ She sighed, rubbing her eyes. "I'm sorry, Jericho," she said, feeling guilty. "I―I shouldn't have..."

"What's the plan, here?" he asked, roughly. "You always got a plan, so what the hell are we doin'?"

She looked up at him, saw him watching her with a hard face. "I don't actually _have_ one," she admitted, in a small voice. "I..."

She'd been thinking―trying to plan for this―for the last two hours, but hadn't come to any kind of adequate solution. She knew she had to end up in Enclave custody, but...

Couldn't walk out there and give herself _up_ to the soldiers. President Eden undoubtedly wanted her to believe that she was―she hesitated to say it, but―the enemy. Maybe he considered her an enemy, too. She wasn't quite sure _what_ he was thinking.

He'd forced her into continuing, by activating the back-up signal. But... he'd delivered her a message to return. There was nothing stopping him from destroying her inside of Raven Rock―or outside of it, if he so chose―so she must still be of _some_ value to him. He thought she needed pressured, which meant he must think she was reluctant to come back, or―or otherwise that she wasn't willing to play along. She had interfered with VIOLA's link...

But she _knew_ how to pretend. She'd been doing that for years upon years, inside Raven Rock. It made it so much easier to pretend, out here in the wastes. To play along, to get what needed to be done, to... to help _him._ The only reason she'd not gone out and made the Enclave come and get her, was to help...

She forced herself to stop thinking like that, and focused herself. If she were to go out with her hands up in defeat, it _would_ cause President Eden concern. She couldn't afford to have him think that she was scheming against him, for any reason other than her own desires. In the past, her desires had been―well, she'd hoped it looked like she was helping herself and her dad, but―but she couldn't tell what President Eden might have taken away from her actions.

She needed him to think she was transparent, _now_ ―if she acted in a way that he felt was predictable, he would as well. That made it easier, once she got into the bunker. Easier to worm her way back into his good graces and... take him down.

The override had to give her access to his personal area in Raven Rock. There was no other reason that―no reason she would need a code like that, other than to get to the President. Everything she'd hope for had come true, with that single line of code.

And as much as she wanted to make this easier right _now,_ she would have to put up a token fight. President Eden expected that of her.

And... Lillie lifted a hand and bit her fingernails, nervously. ...Still had to deal with Colonel Autumn. She felt the flighty little jump in her chest and closed her eyes. Couldn't afford that sort of emotion tinging her actions, when she got into Raven Rock―

"You said them assholes were gonna be waitin', right?" Jericho's voice cut through her thoughts.

"They're down there," she agreed. Even if she hadn't seen them, she'd heard the familiar sounds of power armor, breathing apparatuses hissing through the eerily quiet Vault corridors. The sound of booted feet, the distinct sounds of plasma weaponry powering up, the hushed voices... one voice she recognized all too well. They _were_ there.

Jericho checked the clip on his rifle and nodded. "So we're fightin' our way out," he said, calmly accepting the situation.

"You―" she started, then lowered her hand and hunched in on herself. "You don't have to come with me, this time," she said, her voice quiet and shameful. "You've earned that much."

"Back to this horseshit, again?" Jericho snapped, his tone growing more rebellious. "Thought you was doin' better than _that."_

"What―" she began, but he talked over her.

"Them assholes can probably hear us," he said, "and I don't fuckin' care if they do. You gotta get your head out of your goddamn _mind games_ and into this real shit, right here. Said you wanted out of the racket―this here's your fuckin' chance." He held up the rifle with one hand and braced it against his hip, moving toward her over the grimy metal floor. "We gonna pussy out here? Don't seem _right,_ kid."

Lillie looked up with a pained expression on her face. "They only want me," she whispered, curling her hands up in her lap. "They're going to _execute_ you, Jericho."

His face was deadly serious, as he came closer and closer to her. Suddenly, when he was as close as he could get without touching her, he grinned, shaking his head. "Fuckin' Christ, Lillie," he said, laughter in his voice. "I coulda gone out in a _lotta_ worse ways. You saved my ass from them fucks at the Mills―" He reached out with one hand and lifted her chin up, staring right at her, that serious look back. A funny little smile went across his face. "I owe you one."

"No," she said, blinking back what she knew was the beginning of tears. "I don't want to see you get yourself killed, for me. Everyone else―"

"Gettin' fed my own fuckin' fingers wasn't right," he said, pinching her chin with his fingers, shooting her an annoyed look. Went back to the little smile, though. Lillie frowned at him, confused by his actions. "But I get that you're all fuckin' _noble_ and shit. Maybe I got some of that, in me. I owe you for paying off that stupid shit I did to the raiders, kid."

Lillie felt the pain starting in her ears. Why she cared―she didn't know, but she _did._ "But you―you don't have to," she said, moving a hand up to wipe her nose. "Don't have to die here, not if you don't _want_ to."

"That's the noble part," he said, dropping his hand. He leaned forward a little, tapping her on the side of the head where her scars were―she jerked at the sensation. "I went around with a lot of fuckin' idiots, back in the day. You... you got a whole different way of things. You're not a fuckin' idiot, for one." He grinned at her. "I wouldn't do this kind of shit for _nobody_ else, you know."

She screwed up her face. He didn't make a whole lot of sense, sometimes. "Jericho," she started, but he smacked her on the side of her head and grunted.

"C'mon, kid. We gonna go down swingin', or you gonna sit here and cry over some washed-up old ex-raider asshole who ain't got nothin' left to live for?"

She felt her breath catch in her throat, and cleared it noisily. "That's two double negatives," she muttered.

Jericho just rolled his eyes at her. "The fuck I care?" He coughed, spitting a wad of snot across the room. "I ain't goin' anywhere _I'm_ gonna need fancy words."

Lillie sighed, and pushed herself up from the table. "I don't know," she murmured. "You... I just don't _know,_ anymore, Jericho."

"Lost that hard shit again?" he asked, standing so close to her she could smell the Brahmin shit he'd stepped in the week before. "Need a fuckin' reminder, maybe."

"I didn't lose any―" she protested, but Jericho leaned down, grabbed the back of her head, and―

She was startled so badly by what he did, she didn't know how to react. She'd never―not like that―and the last time it'd been _her_ starting it―Jericho's breath stank to high heaven of cigarettes and booze and rotten teeth―

He had her in a really awkward position, leaning over her like some kind of vampire, mashing his mouth into hers. Lillie threw up a fist, punching him under the jaw. His rifle clattered to the floor, echoing loudly through the room, as her knee came up and anchored itself firmly in his groin. He reeled backward, groaning in pain. "There it is," he belted out, laughing and moaning at the same time, his body slumped into itself defensively. _"That's_ what I wanna see―"

"What in _the―"_ Lillie shook all over. _"The hell do you think you're doing?!"_ she shrieked.

Jericho landed himself against the wall, his bad hand holding onto it, still bent over and chuckling under his labored breaths. "Worth it," he strained out. "You still got it, kid."

She stared at him, furiously, balling her fists up at her sides. "You―You _asshole!"_ she shrilled, unable to contain her temper. _"That―"_ She couldn't think of anything to say, she just wanted to _hurt_ him _bad―_

Jericho righted himself, still laughing. "Fuck, kid, ain't gonna say you ain't _never,_ c'mon―"

Lillie colored violently. Jericho took one look at her, then started cackling hysterically. "Fuckin' _worth_ it!" he yelled, reaching down to grab his rifle, one hand on his stomach. "Goddamn, you're such a _stupid little bit―"_

Lillie stomped across the floor and punched him in the teeth as hard as she could, knocking him sideways. She shoved him with both hands, down onto the floor. "How dare you!" she shrieked, kicking him in the stomach. "You vile, _rotten, old―"_ She kicked him again, but this time in the temple, knocking him unconscious.

Lillie calmed herself down with a few deep breaths, staring down at Jericho's unconscious body with a pinched face. That―that _asshole!_ What gave him the right to―she closed her eyes and breathed out, as calmly as she could.

She kicked him in the stomach again, before she moved away from him, out of the room. Dammit―that― _nnngh!_ She wanted _so_ badly to shoot or stab or main him―

But she _couldn't._ She owed him for sticking around, even when she'd done horrid things to him. For playing along with her games. For―for backing her up when she'd gone loopy, at the very least.

Lillie sighed, closed her eyes, and held up Colonel Autumn's sidearm. _It's been a good run, Jericho,_ she thought. _...Thanks, I guess._

She opened her eyes with a snap and stepped into the room where the Enclave soldiers were waiting.


	46. XLVI - Of the Eventuality

_Note: Edited for content._

* * *

"Objective is secured, sir."

Augustus moved into the room. Would that he could be over and done with this nonsense... he stared down at Lillie. His head ached terribly, the migraine that had built up inside of his skull near to bursting with its intensity.

Really, he was surprised that she'd even _tried_ to fight. He knelt onto one knee beside her, seeing her eyes open but unfocused, and wondered what he looked like from the other side. What Eden was seeing, as Lillie lay helpless on the floor.

She still carried his pistol, held weakly in one hand. She was bloodied and bruised, and wore a sheen of sweat mixed with the grime that came from traveling the wastes without practicing proper hygiene. He'd expected that much, but...

Overall, she looked terrible. Terrible for having been subject to the ravages of the the wastes and terrible for having been disabled by the Enclave in such a baffling manner. She was disoriented from the cryo-grenade that had been used to bring her down. Her head was spinning in a circle, with one elbow propped underneath her and the other arm moving weakly in a repetitive motion.

He considered her, silently. Willed himself to show no emotion, something he'd had practice doing for many a year―but all he _could_ feel, in that small moment, was _pity._ She'd put up a fight she'd _had_ to lose. He knew there was a reason behind it, but for the life of him he couldn't comprehend―the sounds of gatling lasers and gunfire still echoed in his head, overpowering any other thoughts.

He leaned an elbow onto his knee. "Good work, soldier. Make sure the G.E.C.K. is secured aboard my Vertibird," he told the man, tonelessly.

"Yes, sir! I'll have the techs come down and remove it immediately, sir."

Augustus reached down and took his pistol from her hand, tugging the weapon away from her hand. She groped at it, her fingers grazing his as he pulled, weakly trying to keep it from him. "...You're certain she's unharmed?" he asked, turning his gaze from her unfocused eyes.

"Yes, sir! She'll pass out shortly, but we can revive her."

His hand, holding the pistol, twitched briefly. "Excellent. Prepare her for transport immediately."

"Right away, sir!"

He stood and walked away, raising his hand and examining the pistol. It was... she'd kept the pistol in excellent condition, as he would have if he'd remained in possession of the weapon. Her efforts were more than adequate, really. It was cleaner than the rest of her equipment, by far.

He knew exactly _why_ she'd paid such careful attention to the 10mm pistol. Damn him for trying. Damn _her,_ with that foolish heart she possessed, for buying into the manipulation. Neither of them could ignore the consequences of Eden's scheming, in the end.

Augustus holstered the weapon, moving himself as quickly as he could away from the men. To know that he was delivering her an unknown fate weighed heavily on him. Coupled with his suppressed feelings for the girl, while she was away... the disappointment that he now felt, at her successful retrieval, was wearisome. Even if this were a token gesture, she surely couldn't hope for―

Augustus couldn't be sure that she would know what to do with the override. Couldn't be sure she wouldn't turn him in, telling Eden the moment she had a chance, either. Regardless of what she did within Raven Rock...

She'd deliberately walked into the trap. Like he had, once before, but her efforts would not be successful. His hadn't ever been.

He sighed and pinched himself on the nose, trying to keep his composure.

* * *

"You _must_ understand," Eden was saying. He wasn't even trying to listen, anymore. Chain of command be damned― _he_ was, already―

Complications had occurred, at the purifier. Of course they had; the problem wasn't that the complications were all that difficult to deal with, or how infuriating they were. The damn thing had a _password_ on it.

That was to be expected; James was a smart man and he would have guarded it with adequate measure. Even prior to the Enclave designs for the equipment, he couldn't have trusted anyone.

Augustus listened to the report, as one of the techs repeated himself over the radio. Confirming what he'd already known, that the G.E.C.K. had been safely delivered and was being installed. Up until this point, the Brotherhood had been a pressing concern for his men; now, they'd backed away from the memorial and were surveilling the area without engaging. He mused on why that should be the case, only to be interrupted by a snide voice.

"Colonel, you aren't paying _attention._ These fugues of yours are becoming tiresome."

Augustus looked up, slowly, blinking with a practiced slow motion. "Sir?" he asked, playing the confused older man that he often _had_ felt.

"As I was saying," the supercomputer said, overbearing and stiltedly patient, "James spent much time educating Lillie about his ideals. _I_ have no doubts. She knows the code for the purifier."

Augustus frowned. "Wouldn't you―" he began, staring at the floor. He knew the answer as soon as he spoke the question; Eden would not be asking him to interrogate her if it knew the code. ...Or would it? Augustus wasn't sure just _how_ far the machinations went.

"No, Colonel. I do not possess any recordings from the time." It sighed, painfully. "Hindsight is twenty-twenty, is it not? Speak with her, Colonel. _She_ knows the code."

He turned to the eye on the wall, debating. He let his face fall into a dull look, as he thought about the matter. It was likely that Eden had another plan in place, if he couldn't obtain the code from Lillie. If he were to speak with Lillie, _assuming_ she were to give him the information...

He doubted she would, but he had no way to know what she was thinking. And Eden would immediately use her acquiescence against the both of them, if she did. Augustus closed his eyes and stifled a yawn. That, he told himself, was why she'd not given herself up willingly. In the same vein, he understood that meant she wouldn't give him the code without some sort of show for the supercomputer.

Eden had to have something planned, and Augustus couldn't say what that something was. He could only hope that Lillie's ambiguous plan was more effective than whatever the ZAX bastard could think up.

He sighed to himself again, pinching the bridge of his nose. He had _very_ little hope left, really.

* * *

She'd been secured in a holding cell, as per his request. Augustus entered the room, alone, and stared at her for a long moment, seeing her slumped behind the resonance barrier. She should have been awake, by now. He frowned and looked her up and down through the blue light, mildly concerned.

Her eyes moved behind her eyelids, following him as he moved from one side of the restraints to the other. She _was_ awake. And pretending not to be. Typical of her, really.

"Let's keep this nice and simple," he said, bringing up his hands and removing his gloves, slowly. He shot a sharp glance at her. This playback, he was sure, would damn the both of them―

She opened her eyes, a pleasantly confused look on her face. Watched him with that look, the only sign of uncertainty the trembling of her lower lip. She straightened herself out, but didn't answer.

"No _games,_ Lillie. Do I make myself clear?" He put his gloves into his coat pocket and moved closer to the barrier, holding a hand out as if to touch her. His fingers stopped just shy of it, spread out over the blue, as he placed himself in front of the eye on the wall. Eden might see through other means, but he'd only shown his hand with recorded audio, thus far...

Lillie's face fell, but her hand came up and mirrored his on the other side of the barrier. Her eyes darted to the eye on the wall, then back to him. He dropped his and nodded.

"You're going to tell me the code for that purifier," he said, evenly.

She lowered her hand, smiling in a funny way. "Fuck you," she said, laughing as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Augustus moved away from the restraints, coughing, trying to hide a laugh. Her inappropriate behavior came as no surprise, but the way she'd spoken... the curse felt _alien_ to his ears. "Why do you insist on provoking me?" he asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

"No, seriously," she said, her voice growing louder. "Fuck you."

When he turned back to her, he drew his pistol and stared down at it for a brief second or two. She was smiling at him. Amused, just as he was, at the situation. He couldn't afford to let such an opportune smile cross his face, as much as he might wish it. "Lillie," he said, letting his strained patience for Eden catch up with his voice, "tell me the code. You _know_ the consequences for disobedience."

He held one hand on his pistol, the other hovering over the restraint release. Stared at her through the barrier, saw how dirty and tired she looked. How she appeared on the outside was how _he_ felt on the inside. It was... an interesting opposite. But not a pleasant one, sadly.

She had new scars. Pink lines across her sunburned skin, bullet gouges and laser burns added to the already mangled skin on the side of her head. As she turned her head to watch him, he could see the old surgery scars through her thin hair. He recalled how skinny she had been, before, and noted that she had gained some muscle in the time since.

Her eyes cut through him just as sharply as they had in the past. The glimmer from the lenses was not as obvious under the dim lights of the bunker as it might be in the wastes. She baffled him, still.

But she had a purpose in this mind game that Eden had been playing. A purpose he could not fully grasp, sometimes, but one that seemed to work in his favor― _if_ he was willing to make a personal sacrifice.

He knew just how capable of violence she was, even without a weapon. Threatening her with his weapon, before, had propelled her into defending herself. But now... now, she wasn't afraid of being shot. And she had proven just how ruthless she could be, many times over. He kept his eyes on hers, his pistol aimed at her chest, and hit the release.

The bullet lodged itself in the far wall, grazing her naked shoulder, but she'd slammed him backward into the door before he could pull the trigger twice. He would have laughed if she hadn't delivered him a solid blow to the solar plexus and knocked the wind out of him.

Where he'd shot _her_ was the same―the same place she'd shot him, so long ago―

He groaned, stupefied and doubled over in pain as her knuckles dug into his stomach and her other hand quickly disarmed him of his weapon. The effect only made him lurch forward onto her, his hands moving up to grab her shoulders as he recovered.

She was warm. He vaguely remembered that she'd been cold to the touch, before. Gloveless fingers met her skin, wondering―she turned her head so that her mouth was suddenly on his ear, distracting him. "I'm sorry," she whispered, and his pistol was under his chin. The metal dug into his skin, forcing his head backward against the door.

"Li―" he gasped out, but she'd grabbed his head and― _God,_ he'd thought they were done with that. He knew she still―dare he say it― _admired_ him, somehow. Even after all that had gone on.

Lillie was _kissing_ him, now. This time he _didn't_ push her away. Couldn't have, at any rate―she might have shot him with his own weapon, but―shame pooled in his face, flushing red under hers. It wasn't the right _time_ to do such things―

She pulled away, jerking his head to the left and swept his legs out from under him, knocking him to the floor. In a flash, she'd flipped the gun around and he could only stare as she brought the butt down on his temple.

 _Godspeed, Lillie._


	47. XLVII - Of the Expectation

Note: Reference is "The Winding Stair" by William Butler Yeats. _Edited for content._

* * *

Lillie straightened herself up and rubbed her thumb with the other hand, feeling the sting where she'd hurt herself by punching Colonel Autumn in the stomach. She'd thought it would take more than that to subdue him, actually. Maybe... maybe the radiation from the purifier had made him weak?

She turned her head with a snap, looking directly at the glaring light on the wall that was staring right back at her. "Mr. President," she said, firmly, "I need to report the mission success."

President Eden laughed, a slow drawl out over the air. "Alone at last," he said, sounding delighted. "I had thought our dear Colonel meant to harm you. I apologize for his attitude. He's been under a great deal of stress lately, as you can imagine."

"Yes," she murmured. Her eyes slid from the wall to one immobile boot, sighing mentally.

"I would like to have a word with you, Lillie." Eden made a "hmm" noise and she could imagine him sitting behind a desk and steepling his fingers together. "Yes, I believe it's time we met, face-to-face. There are a few things you and I should discuss."

"Of course, sir," she said, smiling despite the sick feeling that rose in her stomach. It was all part of the game―right?

"I'll unlock the way for you. I'll be waiting for you in my office. Please don't tarry." The light faded and Lillie breathed out, letting her cheeks fill with air before releasing it.

 _You can do this._ She looked down at Colonel Autumn, grimacing. She'd known she would have to put him down, somehow―and she'd expected him to hit her back, even shoot her, of course. She rubbed her shoulder where the wound was and shook her head. Wished she didn't have to, but... her hand moved to her mouth and touched her lips. Oh, if she could―she closed her eyes and smiled. If she could have one moment she wanted to last forever, it would be _that_ one.

After a moment, she reminded herself she didn't have time to be a stupid little girl, like Jericho had kept calling her. She retrieved her battered combat armor, thanking him silently. Without his "reminder" she would still be feeling as depressed and upset, still hesitant to do what she needed to. Without him doing what he _had..._ she wouldn't have felt the need to erase the feeling of his sloppy kiss, _either._

She kitted herself out, then knelt down and patted Colonel Autumn's pockets. Pulled out more ammo―thank goodness, she'd almost run out on the way through Vault 87―and her hand paused on a holotape stashed in his breast pocket.

She drew it out, staring at the handwriting on it. _"From the desk of Colonel Augustus Autumn"._ The cursive written on the tape looked far more elaborate than it should have, given his handwriting was so skinny... _Augustus?_ She looked down at him, hiding the smile she felt coming across her face. A noble name to live up to, for the small boy he had been, ages ago. No wonder he acted as proud as he did―

She couldn't help herself, then. A sigh escaped her chest, thinking about it. He was _so_ proud. He'd stood so tall over her as a child, had been so frightening. He hadn't ever held back his pride, when he spoke to her. She was sure he'd never seen her as the little girl her father always had, but as a potential soldier. The only time she'd known him to be gentle was when he'd had to admit that he was in the wrong... when he'd asked for forgiveness.

 _"But this isn't combat,"_ he'd said. She remembered the sound in his voice. Remembered how she'd lost herself to the fantasy, before, and had wanted so desperately to believe him.

 _"I am not prepared to fight it."_ The Colonel had trained her to be a _real_ soldier. If something as small as that shift in stance had made her completely effective after months of failure―he _must_ have taught her well.

Though he might have tried to impress on her the importance of minding herself, that she was an innocent whom Eden had manipulated, she didn't think her feelings for the Colonel _had_ been undue. She could have run away and never come back... but she respected him too much, to do that.

He was right. This _wasn't_ combat. She put his coat back to rights and pushed herself upward, checking the clip on his pistol. This was a shadow play, and she was prepared to fight.

All she had to do was _blow out the lamp._

* * *

"Attention to all Raven Rock personnel. This is your president speaking."

His voice led her through the Raven Rock, down the poorly-lit paths she must have walked a million times, into a part of the bunker she'd never seen. She entered a stairwell and stared up into the darkness, curiously.

 _"Set all your mind upon the steep ascent,"_ Eden's voice rang out, eerie in the quiet of the room.

She made a face. Yeats had _not_ been one of her strong suits, but she did recall the poem. She also recalled... _The wooden scabbard bound and wound, can, tattered, still protect, faded adorn._ She set her mouth and started up the stairs, going further and further up, until she reached the top. She moved across the floor toward the door that lay ahead of her.

"Lillie," she heard, a voice behind her. She froze, a chill running down her spine. _Eden―_

She turned and faced down a monitor, surrounded by a series of smaller ones. A yellow iris sat in a shallow pot beside it, so out of place in the display it commanded her attention.

"It's high time we met," Eden's voice came from the setup.

She pressed her lips together in a frown. But―he was still _hidden._ He went on about her trip through the wastes―she waited for her cue in the conversation. "Mr. President?" she inquired. "I thought you said we'd meet 'face-to-face'?"

"Ah, but I am! I am right here before you."

She blinked in confusion. "But..." she started.

"You should feel privileged. Colonel Autumn is the only other human permitted within this room." He chuckled, dryly. "Do keep this secret to yourself."

She made a sudden sense of everything―"That's why I've only heard your voice until now?" she asked, her voice incredulous. It made sense―and it made other things sound different―

 _"If you knew as much as I have learned, you would be in too much danger."_ He'd told her the _truth._ She'd been blind to his words, because she was so terrified and upset about finding out that her knight had been...

 _"The only reason we are alive is because_ _ **it**_ _wills so,"_ he'd said. And she'd thrown _everything_ that he might have been planning into disarray, because of her stupid girlish emotions―because Eden had stopped everything that Colonel Autumn had done to keep her from being able to fight against―

She breathed in, gasping under her breath. He― _It_ ―had _planned_ for her to fall in love with him―and it'd done the _same_ thing to Colonel Autumn! The recordings―he had to have seen her looking at him like she had―had to see himself looking back at her and knowing―

She flushed all the way to her toes. Oh, God. He'd―he really _had_ been having feelings for her, and she'd acted so immature and―Lillie fought the urge to cry, clenching her fists at her sides and stopping herself from covering her face. He'd asked for her forgiveness because Eden pushed him to that point, and everything else had just fallen into place for Eden. Colonel Autumn was just another victim and she'd made it far worse than it _should_ have been.

She'd been trying to out-think a damned _computer_ this whole time. The fear and shame drained from her, replaced by anger. No wonder it'd been so difficult―

Eden had been talking and she was preoccupied, not listening. She snapped to attention, clearing her thoughts as best she could. "...performed as anticipated, especially given the situations that arose. I certainly didn't see your father attempting to murder our dear Colonel." It sighed. "I am _very_ glad to have you back in the fold, Lillie. We need of your ability even more, now that our Colonel isn't acting himself."

"Is that why," she wondered, trying to inject naivety in her tone. "I―well, he shot me―"

"Yes, he's been rather... difficult to manage, of late. It's of no surprise that he's acting so untoward, since the incident at the purifier."

No surprise. She couldn't believe it, but... her feelings definitely weren't simple infatuation. She was reminded of when her dad showed up at the Vault. _"I am certain that Colonel Autumn can come up with a way to get rid of Eden, if he wasn't so distracted... by you."_

Her dad had seen it. He'd been so antagonistic about her relationship with Colonel Autumn, even though it hadn't had the time to develop. Felt so strongly about it, because... he knew. He knew how the Colonel felt. Eden must know, as well, and had been playing the both of them.

She'd never been in any danger from Colonel Autumn. In fact, she felt it was the opposite that was true.

She rubbed her eyes, tiredly. "Mr. President?" she wobbled. "With everything that's happened... why am I here?"

"I need you to undergo one more mission." Eden "hmm"ed to itself. "You are aware that there is significant mutation in our world. And you saw the purifier, so you must realize that your father's work has potential."

"Yes, sir," she asked, more than said.

"By making a few small modifications to the purifier, mutations can be eradicated with little effort. I don't need to tell you how important that matter is," it told her. "In front of you will be a vial of modified FEV virus. Place the vial into the control console for the purifier. All you need to activate the purifier is the code."

She remembered, but... She looked down at the casing in front of her, watching it open. A vial of something vaguely orange sat there, gleaming in the mild light coming off of the monitor.

"The purifier will handle the rest. Anything mutated that comes into contact with that water will be eliminated, removed from the gene pool. ...It is rather appropriate that your father's work here, inside Raven Rock, has aided in our efforts. To restore humanity to its purest form," Eden added. Lillie's head jerked up and stared at it. "Without his research into solubility and his innate knowledge of that purifier, I wouldn't have dared to hope."

Including―if this virus targeted the mutation, it would kill not only the Super Mutants and ghouls and creatures, but every living person who had been born and raised―

Lillie's eyes widened. Including _herself._

"Yes, sir," she murmured, staring down at the vial. _Keep it together, Lillie!_

"Will you do this for me, Lillie?" Eden asked her, gently.

"Won't this kill _everything_ that's mutated?" she asked, feeling a sickness rising in her stomach. Could Eden even think that she was that stupid, that she would do _this?_

"It will," the computer answered. "The men and women of the world will no longer share it with the horrors and monstrosities that have become so commonplace."

"But―that's _wrong!"_ she said, letting the anger out. "It'll kill the people the Enclave wants to _save―"_

"Lillie," Eden snapped, growing angry. "You only need to trust in your government, and all will―"

 _"Why!"_ she shrilled, holding up her hands. "Why _would_ I?! You're not a _real_ president―only a _computer―"_

"If you do not, I will be forced to play my trump card. I highly doubt you would enjoy that, Lillie." Eden sounded chiding, as if she were a small child. She bristled at that.

"Really," she spat, her voice rising higher in pitch. "What could you _possibly_ do to force me to do this―this _awful_ _thing,_ and risk my own life, _too―"_ she cleared her throat. _"A living man is blind and drinks his drop. What matter if the ditches are impure?"_ she quoted.

Eden laughed, as if it were honestly amused. "Your aptitude for the written word is laudable," it said. "You're _human,_ Lillie. And humans are a fallible creature."

She gritted her teeth. "I don't―"

"Do you realize how much Colonel Autumn _truly_ means to the Enclave?" Eden asked, suddenly. "If you understand that he's become redundant to our cause, over the last few years, you should. It is of no concern to anyone what happens to our _dear_ Colonel."

She stopped breathing for a moment. "Anyone, of course, but for _yourself,"_ it finished, quietly.

She reached out and took the vial from the casing, feeling the tears start to fall down her face.

"Excellent. I'm so glad that we were able to have this talk, Lillie."


	48. XLVIII - Of the Eradication

_Note: Edited for content, minor._

* * *

 _Decide, and everybody one day will_  
 _Know very clearly—or at least lie still._  
"Don Juan", Canto 11, verse IV, Lord Byron

Note: This is supposed to sound hectic. Hope I managed it.

* * *

 _"Colonel Autumn."_

He stirred, his arms moving in slow jerks against the cold floor. For a moment he couldn't quite comprehend what was going on, hands moving in odd patterns against the metal. One hand flopped to the floor and the other raised up to his face, feeling the sticky blood leaking from his head―

Remembered being attacked. He explored his temple with a circular motion, gauging the damage. After a moment, he pulled himself up against the edge of the desk, and sat with his hand pressed against the cut on his head. This was―had he been exposed to radiation, again?

No. He woke up slowly, allowing himself the time to feel the physical aspect before he opened his eyes to the interrogation room he found himself within. A few minutes passed, before he understood what had actually happened.

 _Lillie._ She'd taken him out, in a very... effective, if utterly confusing way. Augustus let his senses come back to rights before he gained feet under himself, and assessed the situation.

He was bloody, beaten, and bewildered. He almost laughed. Was it Tuesday? It felt like every Tuesday and every other day of the week since he'd been subjected to―

Lillie, _again._ He groaned, feeling the ache in his knees as he stood wavering in the interrogation room. The girl drew more blood than she was owed, he felt, but it was only fitting. He _had_ trained her. He'd trained her to kill, and at this point he was lucky to be alive.

She'd stolen his weapon, yet _again._ He might as well give up possession of the damn thing. She must enjoy using the 10mm pistol he'd kept for most of his life. She knew to disarm the enemy, but―was he really the enemy, in this instance? Their situation had been so complicated for so _long._

Augustus scrounged in the nearby desk for a substitute, coming up with a laser pistol that he supposed ought to do the job. What job? Good God, his head ached something fierce. He blinked rapidly, seeking out the unforgiving light that he knew should be present. His muddled vision found nothing more than a blurred line across the wall as he fell sideways, correcting himself briefly. Confused, for certain―

Augustus straightened himself out and centered his eyes on the doorway. A stray thought came to mind. Recalled when he'd been pressed against the magnalocks... He rubbed the underside of his chin, trying to sort his memories. Lillie'd had him up against the door, and―his hand drifted toward his mouth―

 _Wretched._ It was the only word he could eke out of the clay that was his mind before the attempt was interrupted by a dreadfully familiar and importuning voice, once again.

"Colonel, I have need of you."

He trusted his instincts. There wasn't much else he could tease from his brain but the heartfelt hope he'd had, prior to this incident. His first instinct was to play the game as he'd intended to, before _she'd_ been captured. To―

He opened the door to the room, without hearing the prompt made by the supercomputer, and began the trip toward the command center. He had to make an announcement. Had to...

Everything that had lain heavy on him was gone. All he could focus on was the here and now. It felt as if he were drunk and his attention span was limited by his whimsical delights. Augustus stumbled through the bunker toward his goal, the strong need deep in his heart driving him forward. Only... the drunken whimsy had melted into a furious rage again, and it began to feel as it had when she'd confronted him the night of her departure from Raven Rock.

He could hear his feet pressing into the walkways, soft rubber soles squeaking along the metal. He had to get to command before he forgot what he'd intended to do, in this tumultuous state. Tried to keep himself focused. Lord, but it was really hard to do _that._

Along the way he'd managed to come to a few conclusions. Firstly, he believed that Lillie was _smarter_ than he'd given her credit for. More brave than he'd expected of her, after seeing her "giving up" to the Enclave and taking him down as she had. A short swell of pride had to be quelled in his chest at the thought, because―

 _Secondly._ Eden undoubtedly had her removed from the interrogation area to somewhere more beneficial to its own devices, where it could speak with her uninterrupted. That meant she had been alone in the bunker without someone _human_ to direct the situation, and she might have bought into Eden's manipulation, _yet again._

The whole of that thought was something he didn't want to have happen. It caused him undue pain to imagine, even _briefly._ To that end, he was annoyed, befuddled, and _furious_ that Eden had managed to propel its plan this far into existence. _He_ should have stopped the damned thing from getting to this point―

Augustus poured himself into the command center and took up a microphone, announcing to Raven Rock that Lillie must be shot on sight. He hoped his words were enough to produce a concise response from the Enclave, the people who he could not entirely trust given recent events.

His men would take damage. Lillie would fight them, and she was _very_ good at fighting. But the effort might slow her escape from the bunker, which meant...

Worst case scenario, she _would_ die. The possibility of Lillie dying was at least an _end_ to the nefarious goals of that goddamned ZAX monstrosity―Augustus paused in his diction for a moment, clutching at his chest and the pain that had suddenly exploded into being. Though he'd never been able to fully tell if he was experiencing―dare he say it― _love_ for the girl, versus having a heart attack, he was now absolutely certain this feeling... _was_ love.

It was _painful._ More painful than even his awakening from "dying" at the purifier. He'd never quite experienced such an agonizing feeling and if that was how _she'd_ felt at any point of this dog and pony show that Eden had set into motion, he felt _justified_ in following his instincts.

Maybe he was martyring her _and_ himself to the cause, without good reason. The pain he felt was definitely exacerbated. He was dooming her to _certain_ fate, now. Imagining her fate, when she'd been disabled by the cryo-grenade in the Vault, was nowhere _near_ this level of horribleness; but _knowing_ her fate lent to him the strength to perform this thoroughly final decision.

"Colonel, I am _highly_ disappointed!" Eden was saying. He dropped the microphone to the floor, fumbling his hands on the equipment, and stared up at the eye on the wall.

He couldn't say anything to the thing. Could only stare at the blue light as it swiveled to face him in the dim light of the bunker, wondering what the next step of the machinations would be. Wondering what heinous thing Eden might do; wondering if Eden would attempt to talk him out of his utterly damning instinct to set Enclave soldiers against Lillie.

"Do you not remember? The back-up?" Eden sounded annoyed and... some undertone that indicated danger to him. He couldn't quite make sense of it, right now. "If you absolutely _mean_ to end the poor girl's life, you need only activate the failsafe!"

He was too confused to grasp the idea at first, but he did eventually come to understand. The _failsafe._ The plasma charge! If he truly desired to stop Lillie―if he thought she were actually following Eden's orders, that she was the enemy, in reality―he needed―

He moved himself to the operations room for VIOLA, his eyes sliding over the various monitors that were displaying her flight from Raven Rock. Remembered his past, remembered her antics in the past, his unblinking eyes staring at the feed for what felt like ages. Remembered the disdain he'd felt toward himself and his sinking feeling at her hope and her messages. Remembered―

"Colonel Autumn, sir?" someone said, catching his attention. He barked out an order to have the failsafe control brought to him, but his voice faded just as they'd understood.

The startled orchestra members quickly came to his aid, offering him a seat at a familiar terminal. He stared at the device in front of him―a helpful technician gestured to the correct sequence to activate the back-up―and his eyebrows were damn near touching in their furrowing over his eyes.

Eden _was_ correct. Technically.

For as many weeks as she'd been gone, he'd longed to end the torture. He'd been as confused then as he was now, staring at the device that was being primed for his use. Confused, enervated, and futilely attempted to suppress his feelings. That behavior had led him to this point, and he was feeling the pressure of Eden's swift action playing off of his own careful slowness.

He was _also_ probably suffering from a concussion and not in his correct mind to make such a serious decision. Augustus felt his hand moving to hover over the button, as he considered the option. It felt too late to delay the action, even though he was fighting his own damnable heart. He'd been no stranger to grief at scrapping an operation and all the men involved, before, but this was―

This was _different._

 _God forgive me,_ he thought. His hand was there, hovering, as he stared blankly at the device.

"Colonel Autumn?" someone asked, from his side. The technician keyed in the code as directed by Eden, giving him an ultimatum of the worst kind.

Augustus shook his head, slowly. Eden's voice nagged at him from the wall, but all of a sudden everything had gone hazy. It really felt as if he were perfectly drunk―

"Something feels wrong here," someone said. He agreed, but he was too prideful to give voice to his men. He'd suffered a head wound. He should not be here, with his hand over this button. He even thought he could feel the blood oozing down the side of his face. But he could not bear any more disgrace in their eyes, unless he were to die.

 _No,_ he was far too confused to feel anything other than pride. It simply wasn't _possible,_ at this point.

He couldn't feel the pain in his chest, anymore, either. It must have been there, but nothing registered. He was tired; sleepy, his eyes closing of their own accord as he stared at the device that was meant to detonate the plasma charge he _knew_ to be located inside Lillie's head. The charge that should end her life―

He couldn't think straight, at all. It had the unfortunate effect of simplifying the matter in an unspeakable manner. Augustus pitched forward, his hand landing on the device, his body hung over the desk in a limp manner.

"Thank you, _dear_ Colonel," Eden said, as he finally lost consciousness.


	49. XLIX - Of the Elucidation

_Note: Minor content edit._

* * *

She should have _known_ she'd lose the war.

Lillie stood in front of the door, staring at the vial in her shaking hand. Thought about what President Eden had said, barely registering its increasingly impatient admonitions for her to leave. She'd... fought her way through the bunker, all the way to the end. Eden had opened the doors for her.

But she'd been startled by the voice of Colonel Autumn on the P.A., ordering her to be shot on sight. She'd... forgotten to use the override. The only thing he'd actively trusted her with, and she'd completely forgotten to use it―it made so much sense, that code. It was probably a control mechanism for the supercomputer. She couldn't do much with it, _now._

Colonel Autumn was right to think she was the enemy, if he knew she'd met with Eden and not activated the priority override. She should have―God, she didn't _know._ Couldn't have anticipated that the President was a computer, much less remember the code after being so upset by that.

She wouldn't blame the Colonel for acting against her. Even if everything that had gone on, hadn't... she'd still be in trouble, somehow. It seemed to be in her _nature_ to cause problems.

Colonel Autumn's voice sounded so _tired._ He spoke with the same authority he always had, but... he stopped in the middle of his announcement, and when he started again his voice was stressed and faded.

The sick feeling in her stomach had grown to the point she could taste stomach acid. Her chest ached with all the stress, and she didn't think it was physically possible for her to feel any _more_ pain.

She was wrong about that, though.

The _worst_ pain struck shortly after Colonel Autumn's announcement ended. Her hand jerked involuntarily on the vial as fire shot through her head and the VIOLA feed cut out, sending a chill down her spine. She gasped, spittle flying from her mouth, as her chin jerked up and out, and her back straightened out with a painful twinge.

"Remain calm, Lillie," President Eden said, sounding distorted. "The failsafe has been activated."

It was going to kill her? That didn't make sense― _what was going on?!_

She jammed her mouth shut, biting the inside of her cheek and tasting blood. Static swam in her vision as VIOLA came back online. When she could see again―it was different, again, but she _could_ see―

She felt nearly paralyzed by the painful and confusing shock, watching halos echo out from the blue lights on the walls―managed to lift one foot and step toward the door―

Whatever the shocking sensation was, it ended just as she put her foot down. She fell sideways, tossing the vial across the floor, twisting an ankle and landing her shoulder against the door. Her head felt―she couldn't quite describe it, it was like she'd had electricity flowing inside her skull―the tingling sensation shot out into her hands and feet, down her spine and through her stomach.

Lillie threw up onto the floor, groaning as she slid down the door and curled herself into a ball. _"Wha..."_ she managed. Her tongue tasted of metal and felt like it was too big for her mouth.

Eden chuckled patronizingly from a nearby speaker. "The shock you've received was not nearly enough to end your life. Enough to disable you temporarily, but you _will_ live."

She searched her mind for the answer, but came up with nothing. The tingling slowly abated as she lay on the floor, shivering at the coolness of the metal. "Eden," she mumbled out, _"what―"_

"The failsafe was never meant to end your life, Lillie. I couldn't allow you to be killed, even in some accidental fashion. You do _understand,_ don't you?"

She shook her head slowly, trying to get her bearings back. Her mouth tasted of sick and blood, she was cold, and she wanted to be anywhere but here―here, allowing this sociopathic A.I. to control her―

"I am unhappy that I needed to activate the failsafe. You can rest easy in knowing that the plasma charge wasn't what it appeared. Your father might have had knowledge of a great many things, but..." Eden made a thoughtful noise. "The battery that powered VIOLA's link to the orchestra has failed. It is an _unfortunate_ occurrence."

She pushed herself up from the floor into a sitting position, staring at the unblinking blue light with a perplexed face. "What?"

She could see in color, again. What in the world was _going on―_

"Come now, you mustn't let the shock unravel your mind. You've earned your freedom, Lillie. What you've always wanted. Provided you undertake this last mission, of course."

She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut, only opening them when it began to speak again. "I have planned extensively for all parties involved in our _unpleasant_ situation to achieve―well, our respective American dreams. You will be allowed to leave, unharmed, and will be set free to do as you please in the wastes. You _must_ deliver the vial to the purifier and install it as I have asked. That is _my_ dream, Lillie. I would like to be able trust you with ensuring that dream comes true."

She blinked at the wall, then pulled herself into a stand. Ignoring the statement, she hazarded a question. "And... Colonel Autumn?"

"Will rest content in the knowledge that his dream of bringing the Enclave back from the brink is coming true." Eden chuckled, dryly. "And I'm sure our dear Colonel will feel _much_ better once he's no longer plagued by thoughts of a certain lovesick teenager."

Something was going on, here. She could feel the tingling in her fingers, still. Eden couldn't watch her out there, if the feed was terminated―and neither could _Colonel Autumn._ Eden wouldn't have planned for any kind of good outcome that would necessitate keeping Colonel Autumn _alive,_ if it intended to follow through on the threat of―

 _But,_ a small voice in her head pointed out, _if Colonel Autumn isn't thinking about me, anymore, what does that mean?_

She shook the thought from her head and focused. Eden said the failsafe activation had terminated VIOLA's feed. She could still see, even after that. It _must_ be lying, again. Or―

Not so much lying as skewing the _truth._ She'd come to understand that was how Eden worked; it pulled one hand to move the other. There was something of that in this situation, something that the supercomputer wanted to keep from Colonel Autumn. But why?

Was it something Eden _knew_ the Colonel wouldn't agree with...? She retrieved the vial from the floor. This thing, and her orders to insert it into the purifier... that was _it,_ wasn't it?

Lillie's eyes narrowed at the vial. "You just threatened to _kill_ him," she said, angrily. "You said he wasn't of much use. That only _I_ care about his being alive." She made a face at the computer. "Why would you do that, if you really want him to achieve his dream?"

"The Colonel isn't the easiest subordinate to work with, Lillie." Eden sounded annoyed. "I've known him since he was quite young; Colonel Autumn is as stubborn as he ever has been. Autumns always were rather proud, you know. But it _is_ true that he's become redundant. His actions grow more and more seditious every year, nearly to the point of treason. I'm sure you understand the consequence of _disobedience,_ for someone in his position."

That made sense. Colonel Autumn _had_ been blatantly obvious with his attempts to inform her of Eden's own treachery―the Byron lines he'd sent to her, came to mind. He must have hoped she would see everything and still be able to hide her intentions. Those lines had been so obvious, when she thought about it, so clear in their meaning. Eden might have pretended not to understand, but...

Lillie nodded, her eyes focused on the vial. Eden went on, "If you refuse to undertake this mission for me... know this: the matter of the purifier _must_ be resolved. At _any_ cost, Lillie. If you cannot help me, then Colonel Autumn―in his stupefied state, which was undoubtedly exacerbated by your most recent assault on him―will be pressured into losing a great many of his men. Each time an inaccurate code is entered, the device emits that same radiation that killed your father."

Lillie knew that wouldn't be acceptable to Colonel Autumn. His pride had only made this arabesque that was Eden's plot, work all the better. He wouldn't want to sacrifice more soldiers to this cause, if―

She thought furiously, trying to take in everything at once. Assuming she did what Eden asked... she still couldn't be certain the A.I. _wouldn't_ order Colonel Autumn's execution. It had never told her the truth.

The _truth._ She thought about that. Getting her out into the wastes had been a complicated scheme to acquire the purifier. A plan that involved putting her father out after her, assuming that he would go to the purifier as soon as she felt threatened by Eden. The attempt she'd made to disrupt the radio signal was just another anticipated response, and her getting into the good graces of the Brotherhood of Steel... all part of the plan. The plan may not have included her dad dying, but... it was all there, every last little piece in place.

To get the purifier into Enclave hands, Eden had used her feelings for Colonel Autumn to manipulate everyone. It was...

Everything was all _her_ fault again. For existing. For playing into the plot.

She didn't know what to do. She felt like a little girl again. She'd never been anything but that, for so long...

But that was before she'd gone out into the wastes. Before she'd had to use her own wiles and fight her own battles, before she'd been able to curb her stupid fantasies. She was still the heroine of this story―Jericho was still the blackguard―Colonel Autumn was still―

Her mouth curved into a wry smile. She'd finally gotten the kiss she'd wanted, all those weeks ago. Had to steal it, but... back then, the kiss had been meant as a reward for the _knight_ that she'd thought was protecting her in her blinded state. It was _her_ reward, this time. _She_ was the hero, and Colonel Autumn was the damsel in distress.

He'd never treated her like a little girl. He was _depending_ on her to follow through on his plans. For a brief second she was angry at herself―she really had forgotten about the override. The only thing he'd truly _trusted_ her with.

It was hurtful to think that she'd not only dashed her father's expectations of herself, but now her duty to Colonel Autumn and to the Enclave was lacking. _More pain._ She sighed to herself.

Eden anticipated she would fail at her duty. Banked on it. The freedom it offered her, now, _had_ to be a part of another plot. Another way for it to convince her she should do as it asked, and forget about her allegiance to―

Lillie breathed out, slowly. She was done with being manipulated. Her father had committed suicide because of this _insanity_ ―and now she was being forced to do something that would certainly kill her, too―

"With all due respect, Mr. President, _fuck you."_ She took a deep breath, and breathed out.

"You are entitled to your opinion," Eden replied, dryly. "Now, you must leave the bunker. I cannot hold the soldiers off forever, Lillie. And Colonel Autumn _has_ ordered your arrest." It chuckled, sardonically. "Again. You are familiar with this routine?"

It was a remarkable plan. A plan that only a supercomputer such as itself could have planned, over the nearly twenty years that she'd been alive. Lillie was torn between admiring the subtlety of the manipulation over that time, and feeling absolutely disgusted at the esteem she might give.

It would have been so much simpler if she'd never known about the stupid plotting that Eden had been doing.

She turned to the door as it opened, feeling the wetness on her face and ignoring it.

But she wouldn't be surprised to find that Eden had planned for that part, _too._


	50. L - Of the Examination

Note: Not the end yet. I'm a little over projected plan, so I'm going to extend the ending maybe another two chapters? I've got to come up with some ideas, eventually. And... well, I kind of don't want to end this, just yet.

* * *

Jericho lit a cigarette, staring at the huge concrete door. The thing was set into the side of the rocks, right out in plain sight. He liked that. Meant you always saw 'em coming. Maybe them Enclave fucks weren't half as stupid as Nathan's stories made them out to be.

He smoked in silence, crossing his arms over his chest and wincing when he stubbed what was left of his pinkie and ring finger. His eye was still swollen and blood covered most of his armor, but he could give a shit. He stared at the door and waited, patiently.

Never was patient, before. Old age got to him in the end, go figure.

He wasn't _dead._ It'd take a lot more than some gimpy knees and a few missing fingers to stop _him._ Tracking down the Enclave base hadn't been as hard as he'd thought, either.

After that fight with Lillie at the Mills, he'd expected his brains were about half liquid in his thick skull. Christ, but he'd been a stupid git. Fucking miracle he'd made it all this way, ass-end of the Capital Wasteland, without getting himself torn to shreds by those goddamned Deathclaws out there.

Didn't matter. He was waiting for Lillie. About the smartest decision he'd ever made, all his life, going with the stupid girl.

She'd kicked his ass pretty good, back at the Vault. Woke up face down on the floor just inside the doorway, lying in a puddle of drool with his hand on his dick. Nothing _ever_ changed. Was too old to change.

He'd pushed himself up off the floor, spat out a tooth, and grinned. Blood had dried onto his face, a good-looking bruise spread across his forehead and cheek. Admired it in a shattered piece of mirror, then grabbed up his rifle and took off. Hadn't know where the fuck to go, then.

Took him all of about an hour before he started walking north. She'd told him them fucks was northwest. He was already west. Might as well see this one through to the end. If she'd _let_ him―

At this point, if the shit in his lungs didn't take him out he was sure Lillie was gonna do it. Fuck cancer, he wasn't gonna pussy out like that. She'd _earned_ the right.

Jericho snorted out smoke, a cloud rising up around his head as he stared at the door. She was gonna get him for all he was worth, even if she'd gotten him for _free._

He _did_ like her. Flicked ash from his cigarette and stared at the door, thinking about that. Yeah, she treated him like shit, and yeah, she got under his skin. Like a damn needle, poking at the hurt and sewing up the wound at the same time. But she was fucking _honest._ Not like Moriarty, treating him like he was just a dumbass with no helpful thoughts in his head.

Them games she played. He couldn't half keep up with them, but he was tough enough to survive _her._ That oughta count for something.

Lillie hadn't ever stood down from a challenge. He liked that, too. She kicked as much ass as he had, back when _he_ was a stupid kid. She didn't know a goddamn thing about the wastes. Didn't know her ass from a hole in the ground. He was willing to teach her, and seemed like she wanted to learn.

She'd learned a lot, already. She'd know more than enough when they was done with all this Enclave shit.

The door opened as two Vertibirds flew overhead. He didn't look up, kept his eyes on the door. Lillie poured herself out, landing on her knees at the entrance. Jericho strode forward, grabbed her by one shoulder and hauled her away from the place just as the gunfire started. Shit went to hell around them, but he kept stomping up the road.

She'd gone limp in his hand, like she didn't have a bone in her body. Knew she was conscious, so―must be more of that stupid shit she'd pulled talking about eggs and being all fucking crazy―

He dropped her to the ground just as one of the power armored soldiers came up on them, bringing up his rifle and firing wildly back. She flopped onto the dirt, but whipped out a foot and took him down, kicking him hard in the shin. He landed on his ass―but laughed at her.

"Fuckin' Christ," he muttered. "I missed you, too, you crazy _bitch."_

Lillie _smiled_ at him. Blood streamed from her right eye, like she was crying, but she didn't seem to notice. Jericho turned his rifle onto the assholes chasing them, wondering what she'd been up to down there. Hoped she'd sorted that shit out, at least.

After a second or two she sat up, pushed herself up from the ground and turned herself to face the soldiers. She cracked her neck to one side, lifted her pistol, and started shooting.

Jericho kept his eyes on her. No mercy given, her bullets tearing into the soldiers that were marching up the road. Lillie spun out a leg and kicked one of them, hard, hitting him at an angle and knocking him down. She lifted her foot, placed it firmly on the soldier's chest, then shot him in the face at point-blank range.

"C'mon, Jericho," she said, lifting a gatling laser from the corpse. She grunted with the effort, but anchored it against a hip. "Fire, you fucking _asshole!"_

He grinned. Fuck, yeah.

* * *

She didn't say a word for a long time, after they fought off the soldiers. Started off across the wastes like nothing had happened, wiping her face on her sleeve and leaving a trail of blood. They marched without stopping, over all the downed trees and rocks fucking everywhere.

Christ, but he hated this place. If it wasn't the bears or raider fucks, it was the damn up and down terrain getting on your joints. Made him feel too fucking old―

"What's the plan," he asked, when they'd traveled a couple hours southeast. "Where we headed?"

Lillie stopped short, her boots kicking up dust. She lifted a hand, staring at the vial she was carrying. She hadn't put the thing away, yet. Who knew what the hell was up with that. Jericho waited as patiently as he could, for her answer.

She didn't. He came up behind her, annoyed that she wasn't talking. "Kid," he said, reaching his bad hand out to lay it on her shoulder.

Lillie moved as quickly as ever, smashing him in the teeth with her occupied hand. He grunted, reeling from the blow. Spat blood onto the ground, whipped his own hand out to hit her back. She deflected the blow with her forearm, grabbing him under the chin by his jacket and pulling his face close to hers.

 _"Don't even try me,"_ she hissed, deadly serious.

"Christ, who got you so fuckin' riled up," he growled, spitting onto her face. "Your Colonel boyfriend dump you, or somethin'?"

She blinked at the spray of blood and spit, then gritted her teeth and drew back her hand to punch him. _"Fuck you!"_ she shrieked, pushing her fist forward.

He saw it coming, this time. Ducked to the side, grabbed her around the neck with one hand, and jerked her hand loose from his jacket by shoving her roughly onto the ground. "You gonna keep that shit up?" he snapped, flexing an arm. Fuck, she knocked another one of his teeth out. He wiggled it loose with his tongue, spitting it onto the ground. "We ain't got time for this bullshit."

She landed on her chest with a grunt, dropping the vial to the side. Had something yellow inside. He picked it up, turning it in his hand and glancing at her.

She didn't answer, just put her hands to the rocks and pushed herself up onto all fours. Jericho lifted up the canister and chucked it at her, glancing off her shoulder. "Whatever, then, fuck," he muttered. "You figure out your lay in there? Or are you still workin' for the assholes?"

"Don't know," she said, so quietly he could barely hear her.

"Well, what _do_ you know?" he snapped, irritated. "For fuck's sake, _you're_ the smart one. If you don't know, what's that make me?"

"Shut up, Jericho," she spat, turning her head to stare at him. "Just shut the fuck up."

He snorted, lighting a cigarette and staring at her. "C'mon," he grunted, "you really got nothing to show for all those games you played?"

"No, I _don't!"_ she yelled, hatefully. She stood up, hands clenched, grabbing the vial again, and glared at him. "I don't have shit to show for nothing!"

Jericho put his foot a rock, leaning forward, and held up his right hand. Wiggled his remaining fingers at her, pointedly. "Least you can do is give me a _real_ fuckin' answer. What the fuck, who the fuck, where the fuck. That shit."

She breathed out and looked away from him, crossing her arms over her chest. It was a another long moment before she said anything, her face full of all that stupid little girl emotion he'd seen so often. Jericho smiled at that. It was actually sort of reassuring, seeing that shit again.

"This." She held up the vial, her voice empty. "It'll kill _everyone_ in the wasteland."

Jericho tossed the cigarette and scratched his chin. "Yeah," he said. "And?"

"If I don't..." she sighed, closing her eyes. "...Do what he asked, Eden is going to kill Colonel Autumn."

Jericho leaned his weight onto his knee, sizing her up. "Up to you, kid," he said. "I say fuck it. Ain't no one living no happy life out here. Be putting us out of our fuckin' _misery."_

"I'm not committing genocide," she hissed, glaring at him.

He shook his head and rubbed his arm. Felt the beginning of a coughing fit taking up in his chest. She stared across the wastes, looking past him. Tilted her head slightly. "If I do this I'll be killing myself, too," she said, sadly.

"Don't do it then. Let President Asshat and your precious Colonel rot down in that hidey-hole." Jericho coughed, dropping his foot to the ground. "Christ, stop whinin' already." The shit in his lungs started up again and he turned to the side, coughing violently.

Lillie shot him a terrible look, but put the vial into her pack. "You're an asshole, Jericho," she muttered, shouldering it and starting to walk away.

"You didn't pay for _nice,"_ he shot back, trying not to laugh. "You didn't pay at all―" He started hacking up mucus again, uncontrollably. The fit didn't let up, leaving him seeing white spots in his vision. Swore through the pain and dizziness, taking one step before he pitched forward.

Lillie caught him. She put one hand on the side of his head, leaned her cheek against the other side, and pushed him back up into a stand. Didn't let go, right away, her fingers twitching against his ear like she was trying to give him a goddamn hug or something.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, you know," she whispered, in his ear.

"Keep that up," he muttered, coughing again. "You ain't gonna like me much. Too old to change, kid." He felt the smile come across his face, grabbed her around the waist with one hand and squeezed her into him. He'd warned her. God, she was stupid.

She sighed. "We're going back to the purifier," she said, her voice muffled by the collar of his jacket. "I have to go turn it on, at least."

"Yeah, and?" he inched his hand lower.

"And I know which vertebra to sever so you'll never walk again," she said, lightly.

"Go on, then. Still _worth_ it."

Lillie laughed.


	51. LI - Of the Execution

He opened his eyes. Eden's monitors were in front of him. The iris that sat to the side, the backlit displays, the pillar of Pre-War technology that had tormented him... it was all there, ready to mock him again. He grimaced, imagining what was to come. Surely he would be reprimanded for―

He wasn't quite sure. There was something that he'd done, that he shouldn't have. He was certain of that, but what was it that he'd done?

"Dr. Autumn," Eden said, but it _wasn't_ Eden. Lillie's voice rang out through the quiet room, chastising him in place of the patronizing voice he'd expected. "I'm quite disappointed, you know. I have come to expect better performance of you."

He blinked, swallowing the lump in his throat, and looked down at himself. He was... wearing the scientist's clothing his father had so favored, when he was alive and still able to work. If his heart had not been weakened, in his later years―

"Sir?" he asked, and the voice that came from him was his father's. _What?_

"Your team should have finished their research much sooner than they have," Lillie said, sounding wounded. "We will never be able to correct the mutation in the wasteland if we do not have a proper _solution."_

"Of course, sir," he replied, pulling his feet together and standing taller. "I apologize for the lack of discipline. It won't happen again."

"I suppose I'll have to have faith in you, though you are testing my patience, doctor. Oh, and do tell me... how _is_ young Augustus?" Lillie asked, sounding piqued.

The tone of her voice struck fear into his heart. "Mr. President, sir?"

She interrupted him. "Naturally, the boy will succeed you in your efforts to make America great once more. I have watched him with most eager eyes, in anticipation. I'm looking forward to future interactions with the boy."

"No," he breathed. _"Please."_

"Doctor, with your health and the status of the project in disarray, I doubt you could argue that Augustus will _not_ succeed you," Lillie said, sounding smug. "Perhaps _he_ will show me the results that the Enclave so needs."

"I..." his mouth went dry. He felt confused; what in the world was going on? He patted his chest, feeling a sharp pain in his heart. His hands touched a holotape, pulling it from his suit. He stared at it, frowning.

"What is that, Doctor?" Lillie asked. "Let me see."

"Ah," he managed, putting the tape into his pocket again. "Just a lesson I recorded for Augustus. I must have forgotten to give it to him."

"What are you doing?" a voice asked, very near to his ear. "You should play that tape. It's very important."

"Sir?" he asked. He'd very nearly outed himself as a traitor. If Eden learned of the holotape―

He tilted his head down and sighed. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a faint wisp of blonde hair. He blinked, more confused than before. What was going _on?_

He turned to her. She was perched on an equipment box, her legs drawn up to her chest and hands laced together over her knees. "Why won't you play the tape? I'd like to hear it," she said, innocently.

She smiled, pleasantly, staring at him. Her right eye began to water, slowly streaming down her face. First clear, then pinkish, until a solid river of deep red blood was running down her cheek, pooling in her lap and causing her outfit to become stained. She didn't seem to notice, even as the sclera began to dissolve.

"Augustus?" she asked, her face taking on a concerned look. "Whatever's wrong?"

His own had contorted into an expression of horror, watching her bleed. There were no words to express how he felt, inside his head, only... disgust, at the sight.

She clucked her tongue at him, lowering her legs to the floor. As she stood, a resounding thud shook the room, prompting him to turn his gaze sharply onto the monitor behind them. The glass display had cracked―when he looked back at Lillie, she was falling to the floor, the side of her head a mass of bloodied and ribboned flesh.

 _Good God!_ He held out his hands to catch her, but she fell through him as if she were transparent―

* * *

"I am glad to see you've survived another round with our young associate," Eden mused aloud, as Augustus opened his eyes. The dim light of the bunker showed him the ceiling in his quarters. He was... in his room, in Raven Rock, with the President talking in the same self-assured tone that it always had.

What should have been an ordinary experience, a calming situation even, only made his head hurt more. He sat upright, feeling sore. Rubbed his face, clearing away the blur of unconsciousness, and stared at the wall opposite him. Eden was talking, but he ignored the voice coming from the speaker, trying to focus himself.

Thank God, it was only a dream. He could barely recall what had happened in the past twenty-four hours, but he knew he'd dreamed this last piece. He'd dreamed himself as his father, trying to keep secrets, and...

He felt his chin, noting the stubble that had built up, and found himself shaking. His hands trembled as he lifted them, staring at the ungloved and aged skin. He balled them into fists, stilling the motion. Never in his life had he been so indisposed, excepting the incident with James at the purifier. And all because of―

Augustus pushed himself up from the bed and moved to the sink, intent to shave. He lifted the razor, staring at his reflection in the metal, then applied it to his cheek and pulled it across his skin.

The motion drew a thin scrape of blood. He sighed, looking at the damage in the mirror. He'd been unnerved by the nightmare, so much so that he had unintentionally hurt himself―

His right eye was blackened, a smear of blood brushed over the edge and lower lid. His fingers loosened, dropping the straight-edge into the sink with a clatter.

 ** _Lillie._**

Eden's voice rang out in the room, sounding insistent and nearly pleading. Augustus couldn't hear the damnable thing. All he could hear was...

"Whatever's wrong?" From the nightmare, her voice so close he could feel her breath on his ear.

 _Lord, he'd **killed** her._

 _His_ hand had delivered her punishment, as expected. He'd been manipulated by Eden into that final despicable act, ridding the world of a subordinate whom Eden had desired executed.

...Someone whom he'd deemed unworthy of that punishment, in the end. Whom he'd professed more attachment to, than he'd thought possible.

Augustus could see the blood oozing down his cheek, but felt no pain. He couldn't feel _anything,_ actually. It was too incredible for words.

He knew he ought to feel something. Even when his father had finally succumbed to the heart problems from which he'd suffered, he'd felt sorrow. His chest was hollow, now, empty and bereft of anything that might resemble grief.

He was numbed, too much so to feel any emotion. Idly, he lifted a hand to his chest. Sought the spot where his heart should be, wondering if it had been rent from him in his battered state. Surely he _should_ feel pain, if he'd finally admitted to himself that he loved the girl―

His hand bumped against a holotape, tucked carefully into his breast pocket. He removed the tape, and stared at it. The handwriting wasn't his own. It was...

He turned it over, staring at it blankly. The holotape that should have been in his pocket was a copy of Byron's Siege of Corinth, which he had sometimes perused while awaiting sleep. Lillie's poetry, which he'd retrieved from her room so many weeks before. This tape was not that; it was the extra he'd found in his desk. The one he'd had delivered to Lillie, with orders to seek out Vault 87.

His shaking hand rattled the tape inside the casing. She'd planted the holotape on him, after knocking him out. She'd left him with the means to destroy Eden.

But _she_ was dead. He'd destroyed her, and he couldn't even form a proper response to that. His mind was awkwardly empty of any thought, for a long moment. A drop of his blood fell onto the label, blurring the thin handwriting.

Augustus left the bloodied razor in the sink, grabbing up a towel as he rushed out of his room and into the hallway.

* * *

"President Eden, sir," he said, snapping his heels together and saluting the monitor. "I'd like to report."

Eden's monitor flickered a little. "Oh?" it said, curiously. "By all means, report."

"The traitor has been eliminated. Without her knowledge of the purifier code, it's assured that Enclave soldiers will be expended in our effort to determine the proper combination. I recommend that we secure the purifier and exhaust other options, before we sacrifice my men to duty."

He was proud of himself for maintaining the illusion; he could speak without emotion about her, because he'd been numbed. It was... simultaneously awful and bracing. He stared at the monitor, his hands behind his back and face set.

"Yes, I quite agree..." Eden made a thoughtful noise. "A shame that we've had to execute the girl, though. Wouldn't you agree, Colonel?"

Augustus felt a swift twinge of pain and ignored it as best he could. "Perhaps your inappropriate scheme was so, after all, sir."

Eden barked out a laugh. "Do you think so? I am, after all, infallible, dear Colonel. Would you be obliged to say so about yourself?"

Augustus' teeth snapped together in his mouth. "Of course not, sir," he managed. Damn the thing for getting his back up, once more.

"Then _I_ would assume that you've nothing worth mentioning about whether my plans were or were not, appropriate. Now, Colonel... we haven't the time to invest in scientific options. The Brotherhood, in their superior position on the banks of the Potomac, are clearly mobilizing an effort to reclaim the monument. With the information that I have obtained from Lillie, we can be assured that they will bring out that ignorant behemoth of a robot that they've put together." Eden sighed. "This, as you must know, will give us a proper engagement with the Brotherhood. One that we may not yet survive."

Augustus swallowed, feeling tired again. He would be on the field with the men. It had never crossed his mind that, in the eventuality of a war against the Brotherhood, he wouldn't fight alongside the men he'd commanded for the past thirty years.

"I understand, sir," he said. "I may have a way to... defray Enclave losses, however."

Eden's monitor brightened a little. "Do you? How _cunning_ you are, Colonel." It laughed. "Please, share this idea with me. I love our little talks."

Augustus cleared his throat, clenched his fingers together, and nodded. "Priority Override, Authorization code 420-03-20-9," he said, with conviction.

"I... Oh. Oh my..." Eden's voice faltered. It paused for what felt like entirely too long, and his heart started to sink in his chest―he worried that the override was redundant, that it had been the wrong order of numbers―his memory was very scattered, after so much had gone on, and he would fault himself if this plan didn't work―

"...Root level access granted. Override O-923. Authorization J-512. Self-destruct sequence initialized," Eden finally said, the overbearing personality sudden gone and replaced with a bland tone. "All personnel are requested to vacate the facility at once."

Augustus felt the smile on his face freeze into position as he strode away from the monitor, toward the motor pool.

"High-level functions offline. Self-destruct sequence initiated."

 _I'm sorry, Lillie._

* * *

Siege of Corinth, XXI, Lord George Gordon Byron  
"Again I say ― that turban tear  
From off thy faithless brow, and swear  
Thine injured country's sons to spare,  
Or thou art lost; and never shalt see ―"


	52. LII - Of the Entropy

_Note: Content edit to explain better the reasoning. Sorry about that._

* * *

 _"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"  
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.  
"I don't much care where―" said Alice.  
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat.  
"―so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation.  
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."_

(Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 6)

* * *

Lillie crouched in the darkness of the monument. Jericho was sitting against a wall, in the corner of the entrance lobby, looking over his rifle.

Getting into the purifier had been fairly simple. Lillie bought Rad-Away and swam across the basin to the back end of the monument from Rivet City. Jericho pitched a fit about getting their equipment wet, but she suspected he was more upset at the fact he was effectively getting a bath.

He did smell better, after they'd stormed the shores of the monument and taken down the Enclave soldiers in their path. As much as she'd hated to do that―

She knew now that she was marked the moment she'd been forced out by Eden, so many weeks before. And... being picked up as she had in Vault 87, escaping from Raven Rock after assaulting Colonel Autumn, attacking Enclave soldiers outside of the bunker―and fighting her way inside the purifier―all of it had been put into place in a meticulous manner by Eden, from the moment she arrived under supervision. Her actions were those of a traitor, through and through.

There was simply no choice _but_ for her to continue this path. She had no place in the wasteland. No home left with the Enclave. Her entirety had been crafted for one specific purpose, to lead to this moment.

And she _would_ finish it. Everything. _Somehow._ God, she was so _stupid._

Lillie could feel the vial at her side. She'd tried not to imagine what would happen, if she didn't put it into the purifier, but... She groaned under her breath, closing her eyes. Eden couldn't know she _would_ use it. It had to know she was a fifty-fifty chance. Hadn't Eden spent year upon year drilling her about duty to her fellow man? The brainwashing that her dad claimed she'd been subject to... She groaned under her breath, shaking her head.

He was right, about that. It was hard for her to believe that she had been that person, those weeks before. She felt so completely different, now―

Lillie tried again to tell herself that she was only following the orders because she _had_ to, because if she didn't the Enclave would lose its leader and its best chance for survival in the wasteland. She poked her head around the corner, trying to work up her courage―

"Fuckin' get _on_ with it," Jericho groaned, grumpily.

"I told you," Lillie hissed, pulling herself back to the corner. "I'm thinking." She glared at him.

"You told me you wanted to talk to that Colonel of yours," Jericho snapped, a little louder. "You wanna say goodbye or somethin', that's fine. Why do _I_ gotta be here for that?"

Lillie held up her hand with a threat, glaring at him. _"You_ followed _me,_ you asshole," she growled.

Jericho laughed, lowering his rifle. "Yeah, yeah." He lit a cigarette and stared at the wall, thoughtfully. "I'll sit tight up here, if you want," he said.

"You'll get yourself killed," Lillie pointed out. "There's bound to be reinforcements, not to mention the Brotherhood _will_ be storming through. You aren't doing yourself a favor by staying here."

"You ain't exactly doin' me any favors, either," Jericho sniped back. "You ain't killed me, yet." He grunted, coughing, and smacked himself in the chest.

"Why would I kill you?" Lillie asked him, honestly annoyed.

"You earned it," Jericho answered, his tone one of firm decision.

"I'm not going to kill some mangy old ex-raider simply because he thinks I deserve the right," she shot back. "You aren't worth the _hassle,_ Jericho."

He burst into laughter, ashes flying everywhere. "I'm _already_ dead, kid. Leavin' Megaton was the first time I felt alive, in a long fuckin' time." Jericho pinched the cigarette in his teeth and held up his rifle, looking into the breech. "You and me both know that ain't a good thing. I figure you got the right stuff to put me down for good."

One last fuckin' hurrah, again. Lillie considered the man for a moment. These escapades had been a way for him to feel the thrill, one more time. Everything that had gone on was something he had reveled in, and...

"I will kill you, some day." She looked around the corner again. "But you'll live today."

Jericho coughed again, staring a hole into her back with his bloodshot eyes. "Ain't that a fuckin' _shame,"_ he muttered.

Lillie sighed, rubbed her eyes, and turned back to him. "I don't trust Eden," she said, then hesitated. "But I trust you, and I trust Colonel Autumn."

"The eye shit," he answered.

"He said the feed was terminated," she near-whispered. "I can't know that's the truth."

"It ain't." Jericho flicked the cigarette, held up his rifle, and pushed himself up from the debris. "No one tells the truth if they don't gotta."

Lillie remembered. She'd been lied to so often. All she was able to manage was a halfhearted attempt at making her dad think she'd lied, once she knew her own tell. If she'd been given more time to test that...

"C'mon, kid, let's go." Jericho ground his teeth together, grimacing. "I don't like sittin' on my goddamn hands. You goin' in there, or what?"

"Yeah," she breathed. "Let's go."

* * *

The Enclave inside of the monument were spread out thin enough that Lillie managed to slip into the rotunda without being seen. Even Jericho, who couldn't go two minutes without coughing up a lung, was able to follow her into the control area unmolested. A skeleton crew of soldiers was a worrying sign, though Lillie wasn't entirely sure what to make of it just yet.

She closed the door quietly behind them, as Jericho swept to the right with his rifle up. Two Enclave soldiers in Hellfire armor immediately drew on them, one calling out their arrival. Lillie's hand went up and out, silently asking Jericho not to fire.

Colonel Autumn was standing with his back to the doorway, one hand inside his jacket as he turned to see who had entered. Lillie pulled herself up, standing straight and tall as he'd shown her, and dropped hands to her sides. Her heart fluttered madly inside her chest―

He staggered backward, when he saw her. The look of confusion that spread over his face was unpleasant. He seemed to be in disbelief at first, then his eyebrows drew together and his mouth tugged down into a frown. The hand that was in his breast pocket flattened against his chest, the other shaking visibly.

Lillie kept her eyes on his, her face neutral. "Colonel Autumn, sir," she said, saluting.

"I... shouldn't be _surprised,"_ he said. His voice was unsteady, full of confusion.

Lillie stilled her frown, lowering her hand. "Sir, I have to report―"

"Don't," he murmured, his gaze sweeping down. He closed his eyes and sighed through his nose, loudly.

If he was rattled, what did it mean? What had happened? Lillie blinked, startled by his response. She―well, she'd hit him in the head, the last time she'd seen him... maybe he was angry with her, or―

"Why couldn't you stay dead," he muttered, bitterly.

 _The failsafe._ Lillie's mouth dropped into an 'O', shocked. Of course Eden had told him. Colonel Autumn had thought that she'd died when the failsafe activated, and now he was―

She felt the tears prickling at her eyes. This was the same. The same as she'd felt about her dad, the same as she'd told Jericho. She'd been so angry with her dad, back then, and if he'd just stayed dead she could have―she would have been free to do what Eden wanted of her, without the manipulation, without―all that _trouble―_

 _No, Lillie,_ she told herself. The plot was already underway. Eden had planned for so much, it wouldn't have mattered if her dad was dead or not. It would have found a way around the minor annoyance, regardless. And there was the added element of Colonel Autumn―who was standing in front of her and looking for all the world like he wanted to flee.

She'd never seen such a look on his face. It was _terrifying._

"I'm sorry, sir?" she asked, steeling her heart against the fear.

Did he think she really _was_ the enemy? Lillie's heart tried to explode in her chest. She had killed Enclave soldiers, in order to get to the rotunda―

"Don't be," Colonel Autumn murmured, his gaze sweeping down. He closed his eyes and sighed through his nose. "You have no reason to be sorry."

The fear left her mouth dry, but she―she had to carry on. He was accepting his fate. She had accepted hers, or so she'd thought. Colonel Autumn must agree, mollifying her with that statement, but why did she still feel so _scared?_ Why did she suddenly want to _run away?_

Her ears started to hurt from the pent-up tears that she refused to let loose. If her fate was to―to give everyone their dream, then―why was this so confusing?! She knew what she was here to do! She _had_ to finish everything!

If she didn't... Lillie felt the shudder and suppressed it. Jericho's rattling breathing focused her back into the situation.

"Sir, before I left Raven Rock I was tasked with something," she said, gathering as much courage as she could. The hammering in her chest hadn't dulled. It hurt, but...

He stared at her with such a worn expression, she almost heard her heart hit her ribs and flop to the bottom of her stomach with a wet thump. "Any orders you may have received are not to be followed," Colonel Autumn told her, frankly.

"Yes, sir," Lillie said, nodding sharply. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the vial, staring at it for a moment for holding it out for him. "Colonel Autumn?"

He ignored her words, staring at her chin and swallowing hard. She watched his Adam's apple bobbing. "You are no longer my subordinate," he said, after a long silence. "Your service is no longer required by the Enclave."

Lillie's arm faltered. He was... firing her? Her hand dropped to her side, fingers twitching on the vial. She was somewhat relieved that she wasn't an enemy, but what did _this_ mean?

"You aren't Enclave, Lillie. You never were." Colonel Autumn moved his hand to his face, putting his fingers to his eyes and sighing. "This is a military operation. You should not be here. You need to leave."

She blinked, her hand loosening and dropping the vial to the floor. It hit the ground with a sharp clinking noise, echoing loudly in the now-silent room. Her heart suddenly leaped into her throat and choked her words, her eyes filling with tears.

This was it. Everything she'd tried to do, all the fighting she'd done to keep herself alive and help him. She couldn't do what she _had_ to, in the end. She couldn't get rid of Eden. She hadn't used the priority override. It was all her fault―

 _Stop this nonsense, Lillie!_ she told herself. _You're braver than this!_

"With all due respect, sir, I'm the only one who knows the code for the purifier," she said, pushing through the pain.

"Your service is no longer required," Colonel Autumn repeated, clenching his teeth and closing his eyes against her. His hand went back to his temple, rubbing it in a circle.

She'd seen him do that many times, inside of the bunker. Her breath came faster.

"What we doin' here, Lillie," Jericho muttered at her, from the side. "We ain't welcome."

Lillie kept her eyes on Colonel Autumn. She couldn't _leave―_

The realization of what was happening dawned on her, suddenly. Colonel Autumn still thought she was being manipulated. He must―he must be pushing her away, again, trying to give her some sort of hint―maybe even protect _her_ from what he knew to be coming, the reclamation of the purifier by the Brotherhood―

She burst into tears, finally. Jericho swore under his breath. Colonel Autumn's eyes snapped open and focused on her. The Enclave soldiers looked to him, their body language reading unsure.

It was inevitable, _wasn't_ it? The Brotherhood would come through the memorial and eliminate all Enclave, and if she could honestly say she wasn't―she lied terribly, everyone knew it―and she would be free to aid them, get the purifier back up and running.

She didn't want to believe that Colonel Autumn would give up everything, just to keep her out of harm's way. He _couldn't_ possibly respect her that much, and she didn't _dare_ to believe that he loved her in that fashion. It must be... a tactical choice. A retreat, so that the Enclave could come back from the brink once more, possibly with her help, and occupy the building again―

"Please, sir..." she pleaded, as inaudibly as she could. _"Let me do this."_

He stared at her for what felt like ages with his gray eyes locked onto hers, a confluence of emotions spreading across them. Hers were still streaming tears, giving up all pretense. She didn't care what he thought, now. She _had_ to finish this.

For _him._

"Lillie," Colonel Autumn said, finally, his voice stable and his tone annoyed. "Activate the purifier."


	53. LIII - Of the End

Note: It has been a long run, and I am grateful for all my faithful readers. I'd be nowhere without you guys. :) I hope that this story has treated you well, and that you enjoyed reading. Thanks for sticking by me.

 _Major edits. Clarified a few things. Made more Autumn torture, because why not?_

* * *

Of _course_ she wasn't dead. How could he have been so obtuse?

Every moment from his entry into Raven Rock up until now had been skillfully directed. For eighteen years, the girl had been mislead by that heinous machine. She was indoctrinated as much as he was, and the outcome was that neither one of them could go against the flow of thought released.

He did not understand his own heart; Lillie's emotional state agitated him into allowing her to complete her mission. She clearly felt that this was something she _must_ do, and if Eden had put her to it, it was... well, the likelihood of it benefitting the Enclave was absolute. He had to give the supercomputer that much credence. Eden would not have killed her, if its plans were not complete.

Augustus had failed at identifying the _true_ purpose of putting Lillie out into the wastes, so many weeks before. And he did not think that he understood, even now, what she'd been sent to do at the purifier. He hadn't seen the whole truth, having been blinded by his feelings for the girl. The revenge he'd taken on her behalf showed him how much he had actually invested in the girl.

Perhaps that was the only wise thing he _had_ done in his entire life, but now―now it bade ill for the Enclave, for his future, for everything that he had wanted. All future had gone to waste, because he had allowed himself the luxury of making himself free. Eden would have tipped the scales against the Brotherhood eventually, but for Augustus' pride and Lillie's broken innocence.

How appropriate. Eden had finally bested him at their game _, with its death._

Eden _was_ dead. No more did the insidious words whisper in his mind. And Lillie stood before him once more, and he knew the plot was not finished. Until all parties involved were dead and gone, the plot would not be finished.

She should have given him the code, before. The game they had played... the game they were _still_ playing. Eden's plans were foolproof.

He was that fool. Lillie would not willingly go to her death without proper reason―even a reason only she understood―and he would not allow himself to fail the Enclave in this last, final effort to assuage his pride. They were, both of them, damned to see the plot to the end. No one would go down with them, if he could salvage the situation.

Staring down Lillie, his heart teetering inside of his chest as if it were suspended on a razor wire, and knowing that he would forever be bound to her by that asinine emotional attachment he'd let himself feel―

He truly _was_ a fool. Damned and bound for _Hell._

"Lillie. Activate the purifier."

She wrenched herself out of the state she was in, wet and shining eyes on his darkened ones. How she could still see, he didn't know. The uplink had been terminated when Eden was destroyed, and by its own actions the base destroyed. The action he'd taken to rid himself and his people of the supercomputer led to what might be his demise at the hands of a lovelorn teenager. Removing his people of their long-time home had been unnecessary, and he would pay for that decision.

Surely, given the time without her to distract him, he could have found a way to remove Eden without destroying Raven Rock―

Augustus kept his eyes on Lillie's. It was useless to think of what could have been. His mouth was dry; his heart beating a terrible rhythm against his rib cage. He wished, for one moment, that he had been able to properly elucidate the torturous sentiment to her. That he was not so bound by that godawful Autumn pride, and that he were not the man he had been molded to be.

But when one made a decision, one must control the situation. Augustus opened his mouth slightly, breathing a little too hard for his own good. "That is your final order, soldier," he said, keeping his voice as free of the shaken nature of his thoughts.

Lillie jerked her head up and down, taking the few long steps toward the control room of the purifier. The grimy wastelander she'd rounded up gave Augustus a glare that he couldn't quite interpret.

Augustus' mouth hooked up in a knowing smile. She'd executed her own variety of manipulation on the man, no doubt. He wouldn't have followed her this far, into Hell, if she had not won him over, somehow. Her charisma was like that of her father's; indomitable and discerning, she would find no person she couldn't sway with the time to prepare.

That thought did not bring to mind confidence, unfortunately. Augustus watched the man pick up his feet and slowly limping, follow her up the stairs. If she'd felt she needed a person of this one's stature to protect her in the wastes, it meant she was complementing her own natural aptitude in the same manner that Eden had used _him_ as devil's advocate. Eden had brought her up as its successor, just as warped and twisted as it was, but she... God, he hoped she could still fight against that.

Augustus closed his eyes for a moment. His hands still shook, though he quelled the majority by clenching his fists and feeling the leather of his gloves creaking.

One of the men reported an issue. Augustus didn't hear the words at first, his mind still reeling from the shock of Lillie being alive after all and his own stupidity. When he pulled himself from the reverie he could hear the insistent nature of the report, and understood the dire nature of what was happening.

The Brotherhood had made their final attack on the memorial. It was unsurprising. They had been biding their time, and in that time they had repaired and set into motion their ace in the hole. Their massive robot was stomping through the ruins, and heavy Enclave casualties were to be expected. Augustus breathed in, then out, and ordered the men to mobilize.

The room shook with a massive blow from the outside―that damnable robot, potentially damaging the building in their fool's errand to reclaim the purifier. Augustus felt the tremors shaking the structure continue even past the hit. That was―

Alarms blared out around them, distracting him from his thoughts. _"Sir! The facility has taken damage!"_ the radio sounded.

Of course it had, but he was surprised to hear that it wasn't from the fighting. Sabotage? And the technicians hadn't noticed the damage prior to this point? Of _course_ they hadn't. Augustus wondered if this was how Eden had felt when Lillie managed to route its plans, forcing it to pursue alternate solutions on the turn of a dime. He listened intently to the radio, wondering the meaning of this revelation.

 _"Pressure's building―olding tanks. It needs to―eased now, or the―"_ The radio was garbled. Augustus barked a command, asking the technician to repeat themselves, but the static was simply too much to lend to any coherence.

If the purifier was damaged―no end of outcome could result. Augustus' brows drew together, his thoughts racing through everything that had been done. Everything that James could have done―what he _had_ done, in the past, sacrificing himself―

 _"Lethal levels of radia―"_ the radio crackled once more, a technician's frantic voice ringing out into the shuddering room. _"―Now, or the damage will be catastrophic!"_

Augustus' eyes widened in realization. Even with all the time in the world the Enclave would not have noticed the subtly of James' final changes to the project. Who else would have seen his creation destroyed before being put to use by the enemy?

"Lillie!" he shouted, his head snapping up to stare her down once more.

She'd gone into the control room. The wastelander watched her from the outer door, his face alternating between annoyance and confusion. Lillie didn't register his words behind the glass, her face intent on the control panel in front her. She wiped her face, then put both hands onto the panel and leaned into it. She lifted one hand after what seemed like far too long and punched in the code.

It was too late. He'd always been _too late._

Augustus felt his throat rumbling with a bitter laugh.

One of the soldiers spoke to him, a low voice but with pressing tone to it, and he knew that it was time to let go of his pride. Drawing his sidearm, he nodded and allowed himself to be escorted from the rotunda.

The loud thump behind him was not the slamming of the door upon his exit.

* * *

In the end, the Enclave was forced to withdraw from the purifier. He'd assured the remainder of the men that this was not their defeat, but that they had dared and that they _would_ reclaim the resources needed to continue their mission.

When the dust of the battle had settled, and he stood in Adams Air Force Base, he commended the men and women who had stayed true to the Enclave. The American government would prevail. They were the only authority that truly ruled the wastes, and they would make certain that their goals were met.

Staring out over the wasteland and knowing that what had happened would not have been changed even if he'd made different decisions, knowing that his actions had little change... he appreciated that damn computer, now. What the Enclave faced ahead would be more than difficult and with only himself and the bare minimum of officers that had survived the assault at the purifier, well, Augustus didn't begrudge the ones who wanted to leave.

He understood, now. Why his father had let the others go, when they'd fled Navarro. Their hearts would always be Enclave, but their spirits were unwilling. Perhaps his father had let go of his pride, then, just as he had at the advent of the loss of the purifier.

Just as he had, when he realized that the only folly he'd even made was to be human. He had outpaced a ZAX supercomputer, and he had humbled himself in the process. What Eden had not had, and what ultimately triumphed in the end, was the emotional state of being that was normal for all persons. He was no longer ashamed that he had let himself come to that state.

The love he held for the girl was more fond in her absence. If he were to assume that she was finally, and ultimately, dead, well―

Augustus smiled to himself, tiredly. He would not assume she was dead, but it truly seemed his direction had brought her to her final end. Radio chatter brought nothing to his ears; intelligence on the Brotherhood was lacking in any mention of Lillie other than some idle mention of the Lyons woman who had led the assault on the purifier. Found gravely wounded in the rotunda. No other survivors accounted for, inside the memorial.

He was... still proud of Lillie. Continuing her actions, following his orders to the end. The reason she had to bravely march forward, the understanding that he wasn't able to comprehend until it was much too late... He should have not let her finish her mission. But she had, and he would live with his decision to let her take those actions.

And so, many others would live. Provided that the Enclave could channel their efforts and eradicate the opposition they faced, even still. The Brotherhood of Steel would not give up their pursuit of Enclave destruction. It would be foolish to assume the base was a safe fall-back plan.

It would be foolish to assume that anything that had happened, was the end-all.

Augustus held the vial that Lillie had brought to him, the one she had left behind. Collected by a prudent soldier, handed over to him in the aftermath. It contained a virus that would have ended the mutation in the wastes. All mutation, including Lillie and other wastelanders. People who had not been born of pure human stock would have slowly died out, leaving behind only those who hide behind walls and in the secret Vaults of ages past.

People like him. She had sacrificed herself to save those people, and he'd only waved his hand to allow it. He was a coward. A coward and a fool.

Augustus smiled.

He was a _living_ coward and a fool, and _by God,_ he was thankful for that.

 _God bless America._

* * *

 _"Forsook her lord and land, to prove  
What woes await on lawless love,  
Had fairer form adorned the shore  
Than she, the matchless stranger, bore."_

~ Seige of Corinth, verse 9, Lord George Gordon Byron

* * *

 **END**


End file.
